Stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma says he has imbibed the ability to remain calm under pressure from his illustrious colleague after India clinch thriller to lift Asia Cup
There are quite a few similarities between the leadership styles of Rohit Sharma and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. And one of the qualities that is quite common is the Dhoni-like cool demeanour that Rohit showcased during the Asia Cup triumph here on Friday night after India beat Bangladesh by three wickets in a tense chase.
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Rohit hailed Dhoni's contribution in helping him develop leadership skills. "Whatever I have seen of him (Dhoni) leading the side for all these years, he never panicked and took time while taking decisions. There are those similarities in me," Rohit told reporters after India won the Asia Cup for the seventh time in a pulsating last-ball finish.
"I also try to first think and then react. I have learned this from seeing him [Dhoni], I have played for so many years under his captaincy," he added. The Mumbaikar added that his former captain is always ready with advice on the field. "Whenever there is something, he is ready with advice. We always keep learning from Dhoni bhai because he has been such a great captain. Whenever there were questions or doubts on the field, he was always there with a solution," he said.
Rohit has a great track record of leading the Indian team in the limited opportunities he has got, winning the Nidahas T20 Trophy in March and now the Asia Cup, besides the T20 and ODI series triumphs against Sri Lanka earlier this year. In the high-pressure Indian Premier League too, Rohit has won three trophies for Mumbai Indians. Under the circumstances, it's natural to think of him taking on more responsibility as a captain.
When asked if he is ready for full-time captaincy, Rohit said: "Definitely. We have just won, so I will surely be ready [for captaincy]. Whenever the opportunity comes, I will be ready."
On the challenges he had to face in the absence of a few senior players during the Asia Cup, Rohit said: "It's a challenge for any team when a few of your senior players are rested. Obviously, they will make a comeback and a few of the guys will have to miss out. Every team is doing that and the guys also understand that. It's up to them, whenever they get an opportunity, they should make it big and make it count. For us - myself as a captain and our coach - we have to make sure that they have the liberty to go out and play their game without feeling any pressure."
In contrast to Virat Kohli's chop-and-change policy, Rohit said he tried to ensure that players are not dropped after one bad performance. "When we came here, I wanted to give them the assurance that they will be playing all games. That's how you make players. If you know that after two games you are going to get dropped, it's not easy for any player. I wanted to give everybody a fair run and play more games. That's how you understand a player's capabilities. You can't judge a player on one odd performance," he said.
Though India remained unbeaten in the Asia Cup, Rohit admitted that the middle order is an area of concern ahead of the World Cup. "Number four and six need to get more games as the World Cup comes closer. We will get a clearer picture. The next few tournaments will be ideal to judge where they stand as players," he said.
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