"Rohit Sharma has captained Mumbai Indians since Ricky Ponting left.."- Former Australian legend

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin recently addressed the comparisons between the leadership styles of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Brad Haddin mentioned that Virat Kohli instilled a sense of ruthlessness and elevated Team India’s fitness standards.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma boast impressive credentials as India’s captains. While Kohli holds the record for being India’s most successful Test captain, Rohit has shown remarkable progress, particularly in ODIs and T20Is. Rohit has yet to reach the pinnacle in Tests.

Virat Kohli Changed The Modern Game A Lot In India – Brad Haddin

Speaking on the LiSTNER podcast, Brad Haddin praised Virat Kohli for revolutionizing India’s cricket preparation and instilling high standards within the team.

“That’s a damn good question. Now how I’m going to answer that is I thought Virat changed the way India prepared for their cricket. They became really ready. He held his play group to a high standard and he’s one of those captains who said ‘I’m not going to get you to do anything that I’m not doing myself,” Haddin said.

“You’ve seen the athleticism in the Indian cricket team change and their mentality towards it. They were feeling energetic – their fitness and they dived when Virat Kohli took over. And when they were up for the contest against Australia, he didn’t back down. He changed the modern game a lot in India and how India played,” he added.

Kohli succeeded MS Dhoni as captain of the national team. He introduced initiatives like the Yo-Yo Test and emphasized high fitness standards. The 35-year-old led the team to Test wins overseas, notably becoming the first Indian skipper to win a Test series in Australia.

After stepping down from the T20 captaincy after the 2021 World Cup, Kohli also resigned as Test skipper in January 2022. Rohit Sharma was appointed as the captain across all formats. Rohit led the team in the T20 World Cup 2022 and the ODI World Cup 2023.

The Men in Blue suffered a semi-final loss against England in the T20 World Cup. They reached the final of the ODI World Cup but faced defeat against Australia. Rohit is slated to lead the national team in the T20 World Cup 2024, in the West Indies and the USA.

Rohit Sharma Is As Good A Captain – Brad Haddin

Brad Haddin highlighted Rohit Sharma‘s remarkable success as the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He commended Sharma’s tactical prowess, describing him as one of the best tacticians in the game.

“But on the other hand, Rohit Sharma is as good a captain tactically that you’ll see. He’s had a lot of success in the IPL. He’s captained there since Ricky Ponting left. And that would have been over 10 years. The players play for him and tactically he’s as good as you’ll get in India and non subcontinent conditions. That’s the best I can answer that,” Haddin further added.

Rohit Sharma received acclaim for guiding a relatively inexperienced Indian team to a 4-1 triumph in the recent five-match Test series against England. He made history as the first captain to defeat England in a Test series during the Bazball era.

Also read: “Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni aren’t even playing, they’re just walking..”- Jos Buttler