The former Indian batter Suresh Raina commended skipper Rohit Sharma’s skill to optimize youngsters’ potential by providing abundant opportunities.
With some injuries to star players during the current England Test series, the 36-year-old still led the side to a decisive 3-1 lead in the best-of-five match. He managed this feat despite the setbacks.
India has been missing Virat Kohli throughout the series, as have other crucial players including as KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jaspirt Bumrah at various periods. Raina, speaking to the Times of India, described Rohit as a leader made from the same cloth as the great MS Dhoni.
“He is the next MS Dhoni. He has done well. He has been giving a lot of chances to youngsters the way MS Dhoni did. I played a lot of cricket under MS Dhoni. Sourav Ganguly supported his team a lot. Then MS Dhoni came and led from the front. Rohit is going in the right direction. He is a brilliant captain.”
Suresh Raina
Dhoni is India’s most successful captain, with 178 victories in 332 games across all forms, including three ICC crowns.
Rohit has an excellent record, winning 84 of 114 matches for a 73.68% rate. He recently captained India to the 2023 World Cup final at home and a drawn Test series in South Africa.
“The way he is rotating the players is something I have never seen in the last couple of years” – Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina praised skipper Rohit Sharma’s player rotation and injury management.
India has contended with numerous injuries and absences recently, including Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Virat Kohli. The past year brought various challenges. Yet the team persevered.
“Rohit has been amazing with his planning. He has been giving a lot of chances to the youngsters. The way he is rotating the players is something I have never seen in the last couple of years. Whenever the fast bowlers came in the last couple of years, we have seen injuries. But Rohit has been managing that really well.”
Suresh Raina
Raina lauded Rohit’s ability to control the workload of pacers, saying:
“Being a captain is not easy, especially when you are playing in India. Earlier, we used to have one fast bowler and 3-4 spinners. Now, he is bringing two fast bowlers. He brought in Siraj and Bumrah. He sent Bumrah back and managed his workload well and then handed a debut to Akash Deep. Rohit has been handling the pressure and players really well.”
Suresh Raina
While Mohammed Siraj rested for the second Test to control his workload, Bumrah skipped the current Ranchi match for the same reason. Despite these absences, Rohit has led India to a hat-trick of victories since losing the series opener in Hyderabad.