Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Robin Uthappa has lauded Rohit Sharma’s legacy as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain from 2013 to 2023.
Hardik Pandya succeeded Rohit Sharma as MI captain for the 2024 IPL season, bringing an end to his decade-long tenure. Hardik, meanwhile, returned to MI in an off-season all-cash deal with the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Rohit Sharma’s achievements as captain include guiding MI to five titles between 2013 and 2020 and posting an 87-67 win-loss record in 158 IPL games.
Speaking to Jio Cinema ahead of the 2024 IPL season, Uthappa spoke on Rohit Sharma’s distinguishing attributes and abilities that have made him a renowned captain.
“We must also remember that he had been a part of Deccan Chargers that had won the IPL in 2009. He had a feeling of what it takes to win. He was an integral part of that side as well. One thing about Rohit is that he’s a very self-assured person. Nonchalance is a way of life for him. As a leader, he picked up a lot of nuances from MS (Dhoni). But he’s added his own touch to it and made it his own. He’s not scared to show his emotions on the field. It’s very unique to Rohit. It’s only something that he does.”
Robin Uthappa
Despite his impressive leadership record, Rohit Sharma’s batting performance has decreased in recent seasons. The champion hitter has averaged barely 20 in the past two IPL seasons and has not averaged even 30 in a season since 2016.
“He has a very good tactical understanding of the game” – Zaheer Khan
Former Indian bowler Zaheer Khan mirrored Robin Uthappa’s comments, complimenting Rohit Sharma’s approachability and tactical intelligence.
Rohit Sharma stands among the unique duo, the second one being MS Dhoni, who has triumphantly navigated an IPL franchise to successive championships. Rohit attained this remarkable achievement when MI emerged victorious consecutively in 2019 and 2020.
“Rohit is very intense, yet very casual. Being casual makes him approachable. But he’s very intense when he’s going about his business and preparing. That’s something that works in his favour brilliantly. He has a very good tactical understanding of the game.”
Zaheer Khan
Despite his recent current downturn, Rohit Sharma remains the IPL’s fourth most run-scorer, with 6,211 runs in 243 games.
MI will kick off their 2024 IPL campaign on March 24 with a mouth-watering match against the Gujarat Titans (GT), a rematch of last year’s Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad.