In a move that will be much discussed and debated in the coming days and months, the Mumbai Indians have announced Hardik Pandya as their new captain, replacing Rohit Sharma. This piece isn’t about the merits of that move. Nor is it about right and wrong. Rather, it is about Rohit Sharma, the captain, and the legacy he leaves behind – five titles in 11 seasons is a record only Mahendra Singh Dhoni can match or better. Mumbai Indians enriched Rohit and he in turns leave behind a matchless legacy.
Taking over the captaincy reins in difficult circumstances, Rohit led the team with tactical nous and acumen and, in the process, emerged a better leader and captain. That Mumbai is today one of the most successful franchises of the IPL is in part because of Rohit. And that Rohit became captain of India is also because of the platform Mumbai Indians provided him.
To win a single IPL title is immensely difficult. Even a Virat Kohli hasn’t been able to do so. That’s what puts in context the monstrosity of Rohit’s achievements as MI skipper. Eleven years at the helm of a team isn’t easy. And when it’s the IPL, it’s that much more difficult. Captaining the Mumbai Indians, one of the most talked-about franchises in the history of the IPL for 11 straight seasons, will forever be a very special innings for Rohit.
In every match he captained, Rohit was in control. Even in a loss, he was in charge of his ship. In fact, more so. He had an idea what was coming at him and was mentally ready to deal with the challenge.
It was sometime in February 2011 that I first time had a chance meeting with Rohit in Mumbai. He had failed to make the Indian team for the World Cup at home and was understandably low. All he said was “I did not perform well enough and I have to do much better”. Few words, but enough to reveal what was a moment of reckoning for the talented man. Talent, it must be said, did not get Rohit where he is today. Hard work did. For someone who started out as an off-spinner, to make a name as one of the world’s best isn’t simply the result of being talented. These years as captain didn’t come easy. Rohit managed to hone his batting and leadership skills having put in hundreds of hours of hard work, and will easily rank as one of the best captains in IPL history.
I remember asking him once what it was like to lead a cricket team with very different individuals who are often from different nationalities.
“You can’t lead a cricket team in isolation,” he told me. “You have to understand and talk to each and every player in your team to know what they are thinking and how they are approaching the game. You have to make sure that they buy into your strand of thinking, for only then can a successful cricket team get created. In Mumbai, we have many stars in the team and it has always been challenging as the captain of the side. I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and I have learnt a great deal from doing so. You learn to understand human philosophy better, tackle situations better, get exposed to different cultures and ideas and at the end of the day turn into a better human being.”
To understand Rohit, we need to understand the man’s mind, for only then can you make sense of some of his decisions. For example, it was an easy solution for Rohit to opt out of the 2020 IPL final in Dubai. Nursing a serious injury, he could have sat out the final and played it safe. No one would have questioned the call, for it was logical to do so. Rohit, however, decided to do the opposite. Risking further injury, he played the final and, in doing so, sent out a message. And true to his calling, he scored a match-winning 68 off 51 to help Mumbai to their fifth IPL title.
Did he ever feel that the risk was not worth taking? That it wasn’t fair to his years as a cricketer to put it all on the line? That the bravado could have cost him dear?
Yet again, Rohit was candid when I asked him this. “I played the final, for that’s what I felt was right,” he said. “If I failed, it was okay with me, but not trying wasn’t. That would not seem right and, in the end, it is about doing things that you feel are right.”
That’s what Rohit is all about. Effort and more effort. Meshed with talent, it was good enough to win Mumbai 5 IPL titles. Needless to say, it is a legacy that few in Indian or world cricket will be able to match.
For All Sports News: CLICK HERE