"Overcoming the absence of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah..." - Irfan Pathan hails Rohit Sharma's captaincy

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan hailed the captaincy of Rohit Sharma after the Test series win against England. He pointed out how in the absence of big names in Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, the skipper guided the team to win. 

India team under the leadership of Rohit Sharma conquered the Bazball and handed Ben Stokes his first-ever series defeat as a captain. The leadership of India’s skipper has been one of the main reasons why the hosts clinched the series with one match still remaining to be played in Dharamsala from 7th March. 

The way Rohit Sharma captained the team in the Ranchi Test was one for everyone to cherish. He lifted the team when they were down and dusted and it seemed that they would lose. The youngsters deserve equal credit for that as they stepped up big time and helped the team surpass the tough phase. 

Rohit Sharma handled his bowlers pretty well which saw India bundling out England for just 145 runs in the second innings. In the chase of 192 runs, the senior opener led from the front as well as he played a vital inning at the top, and made sure that he gave his team a solid start in the match. 

Rohit Sharma slammed a vital half-century and ended with an innings of 55 runs before Shubman Gill (52*) and Dhruv Jurel (39*) added 72 runs together and sealed the game for India. They won the game by the margin of 5 wickets and took an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the series. 

As India clinched the Test series against England, Irfan Pathan was in awe of Rohit Sharma as a leader. He believes that India winning the series after being down underscores his exceptional leadership. Taking to his Twitter account, he explained: 

“Always admired Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Overcoming the absence of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, turning the tide after trailing in the first innings, and clinching the series victory underscore his exceptional leadership and the team’s resilience.”

Always admired Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Overcoming the absence of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, turning the tide after trailing in the first innings, and clinching the series victory underscore his exceptional leadership and the team’s resilience. #INDvsENG

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 26, 2024

They were a lot of challenges thrown at us but I thought we responded pretty well – Rohit Sharma after the series win over England 

India captain Rohit Sharma opened up about the Test series win against England and admitted that it has been hard fought series for them. He lauded the youngsters in the team for overcoming the challenges and pointed out how they responded well to him. Speaking after the game, he explained: 

“It has been a very hard-fought series without a doubt and to come on the right side of it at the end of four Test matches feels really good. Really proud of everyone in the dressing room. They were a lot of challenges thrown at us but I thought we responded pretty well. 

“We had different challenges in different Test matches and I thought we were quite composed in what we wanted to achieve and what we wanted to do on the field, very happy. Clearly tells me they (youngsters) want to be here, all the hard work they have done in the past, coming up playing domestic cricket and performing there, coming here it is a big challenge but when I look at them, talk to them and the responses that I get from them is quite encouraging.” 

The final match of the Test series between India and England will be played in Dharamsala. The Rohit Sharma-led side would want to win the game and clinch the series by 4-1.