‘When he was captain…’: Rohit Sharma redefines Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s role in shaping his career

Rohit credited Dhoni for shaping his career during his early years.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni bid farewell to international cricket on August 15, 2020. Now, the former Indian captain continues to shine in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His performance and contributions to Indian cricket have earned him a remarkable status in the sport.

Dhoni is widely known for grooming many current cricketers in the Indian team, including the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shikhar Dhawan. Dhoni has always been a pillar of support to his players, especially during tough times.

Rohit Sharma is now India’s captain after Dhoni, guiding the team to victory in the T20 World Cup title in the West Indies in June of this year. According to Rohit, Dhoni’s encouragement helped him tremendously during the early stages of his career.

Back in 2021, Rohit said, “I made my World Cup debut under him (Dhoni), which was in 2007 and since then we’ve had a very long journey, played a lot of cricket together. His ability to just be with the youngster and encourage him, no matter what the situation of the game is, no matter what the performance of a player is, he just tries to make sure that there is enough composure around that player, the player doesn’t feel insecure. I think that is a very, very important thing when a player just comes into the team.”

Rohit added, “And even for a player who has played a lot of games, for him also, he might go through a bad patch, you need someone to just come around you and just pat your back and say ‘hey nothing to worry about, you’ve got all the ability, talent and everything, just need to go out there and enjoy.’ You need that kind of backing and support from your captain, and that is what we all got when he was captain.”

Dhoni has siempre been a master strategist. His understanding of the game and ability to read match situations allowed him to make quick and effective decisions. He also had a knack for making bold decisions and backing his players, which earned him immense respect from his peers and fans.

Dhoni’s legacy as one of the greatest captains in the history of the sport is cemented by his success in international cricket and the IPL. He led India to victory in all three major ICC tournaments: the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.