Former Indian batsman Suresh Raina commended captain Rohit Sharma for his skill in nurturing young talent, giving them ample opportunities to shine. Despite numerous injuries to key players during the current England Test series, the 36-year-old skipper successfully guided the team to a decisive 3-1 lead in the five-match contest.
He is the next MS Dhoni- Suresh Raina on Rohit Sharma
India has faced the absence of Virat Kohli throughout the series, along with other key players like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah missing at various stages. Raina, speaking to Times of India, praised Rohit as a captain who shares similarities with the legendary MS Dhoni.
He is the next MS Dhoni. He has done well. He has been giving a lot of chances to youngsters the way MS Dhoni did. I played a lot of cricket under MS Dhoni. Sourav Ganguly supported his team a lot. Then MS Dhoni came and led from the front. Rohit is going in the right direction. He is a brilliant captain,” said Raina.
Dhoni holds the title of India’s most accomplished captain, boasting 178 wins in 332 games across formats, a record that includes three ICC titles. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has also excelled, securing 84 wins in 114 matches with an impressive win percentage of 73.68. His recent leadership led India to the 2023 World Cup final at home and to a drawn Test series in South Africa.
Rohit Sharma has been handling the pressure and players really well- Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina further praised skipper Rohit Sharma for his adept handling of player rotation and injury management. India has faced a plethora of injuries and absences, including players like Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Virat Kohli, among others, over the past year.
Rohit has been amazing with his planning. He has been giving a lot of chances to the youngsters. The way he is rotating the players is something I have never seen in the last couple of years. Whenever the fast bowlers came in the last couple of years, we have seen injuries. But Rohit has been managing that really well,” said Raina.
Raina also lauded Rohit Sharma’s skill in managing the workload of the pacers. He said,
“Being a captain is not easy, especially when you are playing in India. Earlier, we used to have one fast bowler and 3-4 spinners. Now, he is bringing two fast bowlers. He brought in Siraj and Bumrah. He sent Bumrah back and managed his workload well and then handed a debut to Akash Deep. Rohit has been handling the pressure and players really well.”
Mohammed Siraj was rested in the second Test to manage his workload, while Jasprit Bumrah missed the recent Ranchi outing for the same reason. Despite these absences, Rohit has successfully led India to a hat-trick of wins following the defeat in the series opener at Hyderabad.
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