How skipper Rohit made India the winning machine

AT 2.36 PM on Saturday, Rohit Sharma’s white-ball era as the Indian captain came to a quiet end.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

As soon as the announcement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCD hit their socials, the broadcaster was already running clips of Sharma the ODI batter.

But India aren’t moving on from Sharma, the destructive opener. Not yet, anyway. What they are moving on from is Sharma the captain, who made the Indian team win the biggest matches after an 11-year drought. What they are moving on from is Sharma, the skipper, who put in place a new template of ODI batting. What they are moving on from is Sharma, the leader who showed it was okay to sacrifice individual milestones for the greater good of the team. The squad analysis can come later: It’s now time to reflect on Sharma’s ultra-rich legacy. When he took over from Virat Kohli, the team was good but not great. He came, changed the culture, installed a more laissez-faire bottom-up approach and allowed the team to breathe.