Former India starter Virender Sehwag called Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma the best IPL captain after CSK’s MS Dhoni.
Sehwag’s comments came after Rohit starred in IM’s resounding 49-race victory against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.
Sehwag, who had rated Dhoni’s captaincy against RR 4 out of 10, praised the bowling changes Rohit made when KKR was chasing 196.
“I have always said that Rohit Sharma is the best captain in this tournament after MS Dhoni. The way he understands the game and makes tactical changes is just exceptional, ”Sehwag said in an interview with Gaurav Kapur on Cricbuzz.
Sehwag pointed out how Rohit brought Kieron Pollard into the attack when Dinesh Karthik and Nitish Rana had just started building a partnership for KKR after two initial wickets.
“If there had been another captain in place of Rohit in the game against Kolkata, he would have used Krunal Pandya against Nitish Rana, a move that would have backfired,” Sehwag added.
Instead, Rohit turned Pollard against Rana and the West Indies kept the flow under control. Pollard timing should also be considered here. If Rohit had pitted him against a fixed right-hander, he would have conceded more runs. Pollard usually concedes about 25 rounds in a row, but that was not the case this time, “he added.
Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja echoed Sehwag’s views, calling Rohit quite similar to Dhoni.
“Rohit put his best pitchers up against Sunil Narine and didn’t let him open his hands. This is where the captaincy makes a difference. In the case of KKR, Dinesh Karthik did the opposite by keeping Cummins in reserve, ”said Jadeja.
While Rohit believes in dictating the play with his captaincy, Karthik found himself adjusting to the momentum of the game. In this aspect, Rohit is very similar to Dhoni ”, added Jadeja.
