Rohit Sharma: A tactician, friend and guide as skipper

Rohit Sharma as ODI skipper. He was appointed ODI skipper in December 2021

- Rasesh Mandani

The 38-year-old is a calm presence in the dressing room. New ODI skipper Gill can learn from his senior

Rohit Sharma's early years in ODI cricket were a struggle, inconsistencies resulting in him being left out of the 2011 World Cup. The dejected but determined young Mumbai batter would take it as a catalyst to improve. He would link up with his Mumbai statemate Abhishek Nayar, shed excess kilos, tighten up his game and develop a burning desire to make it big. It helped that he was 24 then, with the prospects of a glittering career to look forward to if he put in the hard yards.

Fourteen years on, in the twilight of his career, the Indian selectors have thrown him another challenge — by stripping him of the ODI captaincy. Rohit is left to prove his worth with runs, match after match, like his rookie days if he harbours an ambition to play another ODI World Cup that is two years away. Nayar, with whom Rohit has again linked up to get back to his best, believes the former captain will give it a go.