Indian pacer Harshal Patel talked about playing under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. He said that if the opening batter has confidence in any player he won’t tell him about what to do.
Rohit Sharma took over the Indian T20I captaincy after Virat Kohli Kohli stepped down as the skipper in the shortest format of the game. His stint as the full-time T20I skipper started on a high as ‘Men in Blue’ whitewashed New Zealand in the three-match T20I series at home last year.
BCCI also appointed him as the Indian ODI skipper after they sacked Virat Kohli from the role. Rohit Sharma's tenure as the full-time white-ball skipper was expected to kick start in the ODI series against South Africa.
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But his hamstring injury forced him to miss the entire tour of the Rainbow Nation. The right-hander will now lead India in the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, starting 6th February.
Speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’, Harshal Patel, who made his national debut under Rohit Sharma talked about playing under the captaincy of senior Indian opener.
He said that if Sharma believes in someone’s ability he will not tell him what to do. He added that he really enjoys playing under leaders like him.
"He [Rohit Sharma] will basically give you the ball and if he has confidence in you, he will not tell you about what to do. 'You know what to do, just go and do it'. So, he is that kind of a captain and I really enjoy playing under those kinds of captains," Harshal Patel said.
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Patel said that he always has plans and knows what to do. He revealed that he doesn’t like outside inputs and Rohit Sharma fits exactly into his kind of personality as a captain as he’s relaxed and gives freedom to players.
"I have my plans- Plan A, B, C so even when I get hit, I know what to do. I don't like a lot of outside input and he fits exactly into that kind of personality as a captain. He is very relaxed and he gives you the freedom,” he said.
When asked what Rahul Dravid told him before his international debut, Harshal Patel said that the Indian head coach told him to express himself and enjoy the moment.
“He told me, 'We know that you are a very confident bowler. We know that what you want to do, what you can do and cannot do. I just want you to go out there, express yourself and enjoy the moment and we are going to back you, no matter what,” he said.
Notably, Harshal Patel impressed many in his debut series for India against New Zealand. The right-arm pacer played two games in the three-match series and picked four wickets in those matches at an economy of 7.29. He has also been named in the T20I squad for the West Indies series.
(Star Sports inputs)
