Rohit Sharma will walk out for his 100th toss as India skipper on Sunday when the hosts take on beleaguered England in the ICC World Cup. Lucknow, once the city of Nawabs, is decked up to host a contest where India is the favourite.
Indians cricket’s own Nawab – not to be confused with the late Mansur Ali Khan ‘Tiger’ Pataudi – Rohit will hardly think of this century as he prepares to challenge the defending champions in a format which has produced high intensity and crazy contests over the last two days. This Rohit ton is an aggregate of his captaincy across three formats – Tests, ODIs and T20s.
How often have we heard that white-ball cricket is for youngsters At 36 years and 182 days of age, Rohit is the oldest skipper to lead India in ODIs. This record eclipses Mohammad Azharuddin, who was 36 years and 124 days old at the 1999 World Cup in England.
Comparing captain is futile, and there will invariably be a certain bias in it. Yet, for Rohit to lead in his 100th match is more than a statistician’s delight. A man who has scored three double-hundreds in ODIs, he has stamped his authority on the format. These days, when Rohit opens, he seems to channelise his inner Virender Sehwag or King Viv Richards. He has become even more ruthless in terms of aggression and scoring runs at a breakneck speed.
If we talk of captaincy, Rohit landed the job not because he craved it, but because the BCCI felt in 2021 that Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, the coach, had been given a long enough run. Of course, it was held against Kohli that he had not won India a big title during his reign, after taking over from MS Dhoni.
Rohit the captain comes across as “bindaas”, as they say in Mumbai. The cool type, not the one who looks dead serious while doing the job. There are times when Rohit has worn the captaincy burden so lightly that people have been critical of him. After all, when you look at him, he certainly doesn’t conform to any stereotypes that abound about the Alpha Male.
If Dhoni was super fit, being a wicketkeeper-batsman, Kohli was a bit like Martina Navratiolova, the one-time tennis queen, on a computer-designed diet. We have seen photos of Rohit with a hint of a belly, and streaks of white in his beard.
The real grey matter has come to the fore in his cerebral approach to the game, in partnership with Rahul Dravid, the coach. Perhaps, it is this ice-cool combination which has ensured that we do not hear much dressing room gossip these days.
When Rohit took over the captaincy, it was thrust on him. As someone who had already proved his leadership in the Indian Premier League, winning five titles for Mumbai Indians, leadership was no big deal. Yet, having been in rip-roaring from in the 2019 World Cup in England, Rohit has shown amazing composure while tasked with leading in a home World Cup.
The lung-opener against Australia in this World Cup was an example of that. From there on, in four more matches over the last three weeks, Rohit has been in command. The sureness in what he wants from his team is clear. There are times when experience and maturity matter more. After all, when India didn’t perform up to expectations in the West Indies and the team lost to Australia in the World Test Championship final in England, Rohit had to face flak.
If at all a comparison has to be made, it has to be Rohit versus Virat. Damn, is there really an “against” factor here? Frankly speaking, Rohit has enjoyed the batting masterclasses from Kohli in this World Cup, evident from TV images. To celebrate each other is a big thing, given that the former captain had struggled in the past.
Rewind to 2022, and that Kohli 100 against Afghanistan after a long time changed things. This was where Rohit backed him, if that be the right phrase. In terms of body language, Kohli has been both animated and vocal. Rohit has been quite the opposite, just chilled out and commanding without any obvious gestures.
Will Rohit wear the crown on November 19 as cricket’s first among equals? That is a question which can be avoided for now. It’s much better to watch this man, who is pushing 37, loving his roles as captain ad batter in the twilight of his career. Don’t forget, he really is the big brother, for Virat only turns 35 on November 5.