On Monday, Rohit Sharma expressed satisfaction with the young and hungry-to-prove-themselves players who got their break during the ongoing India - England five-Test series. He told the media: "Jin logon ko bhookh hai, hum unhi logon ko mauka denge." (We'll only give opportunities to those who're hungry to perform.)
Indeed, Rohit Sharma has become known for saying things that hit the nail on the head - but gently. Often during this India England Test series and in the matches before, he has spoken up to keep players safe, calm, alert on the field - in his unique style.
When Rohit Sharma led the Mumbai Indians to five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles, there were comparisons with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Both indeed have a lot of similarities as captains. Bringing out a Team youngster's best game is one of them.
Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan developed their game under him in Mumbai Indians. And now, Tilak Varma is learning the tricks of the trade. Most of the current Indian cricketers, including Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, have had their Rohit moments.
Here's a quick look at three recent memorable events:
Rohit Sharma to Sarfaraz Khan: 'Don't try to be a hero'
Sarfaraz Khan got some parental advice from his captain when he went to field at short-leg without wearing a helmet in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi. The youngster tried to convince Rohit Sharma that they may lose time, but he was adamant. "Aye bhai, zyada hero mat ban (don't try to be a hero)," he told Sarfaraz.
Rohit Sharma to Yashasvi Jaiswal: 'Jaisu, keep it cool'
Batting in the final 30 minutes on Day 3 in Ranchi, Yashasvi Jaiswal looked impatient and tried to hit boundaries off tricky deliveries. Immediately, Rohit told him, "Jaisu, thanda le zara (keep it cool)." He wanted to end the day without losing any wicket to be mentally ahead in the game on Day 4.
The duo had an 84-run opening stand that set the platform for the chase of 192.
Off the pitch, Rohit protects his players from unnecessary headlines. When asked about Jaiswal's double hundreds after the Rajkot Test, Rohit said: "I don't want to talk too much about him. He has started his career on a high. I want him to continue doing so. Yeah, looks like a good player."
The run-out with Shubman Gill
In January, in the first T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali, Gill ran Rohit out while chasing 159 under lights. Rohit had faced only one ball. He drove the second ball to mid-off and called for a single. Gill kept watching the ball and did not realise Rohit had completed the run.
Later, Gill cut loose and hit five boundaries before falling for 23 off 12 balls. In the presentation ceremony, Rohit defended Gill and said: "These things happen (on the run-out). You feel frustrated. Everything will not go your way. We won the game, that's more important. I wanted Gill to carry on. Unfortunately, he got out after playing a good innings."
Rohit, along with Ishan Kishan, had welcomed Gill to the ODI 200 club in a video interview posted by BCCI last year.
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