Rohit Sharma not a captain but a leader: Piyush Chawla

Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India have been a force to reckon with, so much so that they have made the semi-final in his maiden ICC tournament in 2022. It didn’t stop there; in 2023, under Rohit’s tutelage, the Men in Blue reached the final in a dominant fashion before Australia threw a spanner to their work. 

But ultimately, India had the last laugh, winning the T20 World Cup 2024 when they beat first-time finalists South Africa. Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla could not help but praise Rohit’s leadership, stating that he’s not just a captain but a true leader. 

"Rohit Sharma is not a captain, he's a leader. He sets the example. If you see, whether it's the 2023 50-over World Cup. Whether it's the T20 World Cup,” Chawla said on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.

"The way Rohit used to bat, he used to set such a tone on top that things used to be a little easier for the coming people. So Rohit Sharma is a bowler's captain. But he's a true leader. He gives you a free hand. And I've played so much cricket with him. So I have a little comfort level. It's not like we're just meeting on the ground," he concluded.

Chawla also narrated an incident from the ODI world event in India, stating that he had a long chat with the Indian skipper at 2.30 AM, planning field setups for David Warner.

“Once, at 2:30 AM, Rohit texted me, ‘I wanted to talk about something PC [Chawla]’, then he came to my room, he made a pitch on a piece of paper, it was for Warner, I think, we are going to set the field. Even at that time, he was thinking about the game and how I could take the best of PC if he was bowling. That’s his dedication,” he said. 

“Rohit is very smart, he knows how to defend low totals. Captaincy plays a big role in defending low totals. IPL final, we defended 129, and in Pakistan, we defended 120….”

The 35-year-old also reckoned that Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad could be India’s future Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. 

"Shubman Gill. Because of his technique. When you go through a bad form, the batter whose technique is strong can come out of it. Any batter whose technique is good does not stay out of form for a long time. And Ruturaj Gaikwad. Whenever he [Ruturaj Gaikwad] gets a chance, he looks like a different player," Chawla said.

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