Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh recently shared his views on the captaincy of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, saying that their methods are totally different.
Dhoni has left a massive impact on the game with his leadership. He is the only skipper in the history of cricket to have won all three ICC white-ball trophies – 2007 World T20, 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. He also led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five IPL titles.
On the other hand, Rohit’s achievements as a leader are also impressive. After leading Mumbai Indians (MI) to five IPL titles, the opening batter got the chance to become India’s full-time captain across formats.
Under Sharma’s captaincy, India reached the finals of the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup last year and went on to win the T20 World Cup 2024 in June. He is yet to lead the country in the Champions Trophy.
“Dhoni and Rohit are completely different leaders,” said Harbhajan on the podcast “Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli.”
“MS Dhoni will never go to a player and will ask him what field you want. He will let you learn from your mistakes,” he added.
Harbhajan narrated an incident from the Indian Premier League (IPL), when he was playing under Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“I remember a game where I was fielding at the short fine leg and MS Dhoni was keeping. Shardul Thakur was bowling and the first ball Kane Williamson hit him down the ground for a boundary. Next ball, same length and Williamson played the same shot. I went to MS and asked him to tell Shardul try and bowl different length. MS said to me ‘Paji If I will tell him now, then he will never learn. Let him learn by himself.’ His thought process was that when Shardul will get hit for boundaries, he will learn it quickly. That was MS Dhoni’s way,” he recalled.
Commenting on Rohit, the legendary spinner said: “Rohit is very different. He will go and talk to each player. He is someone who will put his arm around your shoulder and tell you what he wants from you. He will give you that confidence that yes you can do it.”
He further remarked: “The biggest change that has came in Rohit is when he started captaining in Test cricket. As a Test captain, you learn a lot. In T20s there are many moments that you overlook but in Test cricket you can’t do that. In Test cricket, the captain runs everything. His tactics, his executions are very crucial to win a Test match, that makes you an excellent leader. Steve Waugh’s name comes to my mind immediately because he was so good. If you are doing well as a captain in Test cricket, then leading in the T20Is and ODIs becomes easier.”
Harbhajan Singh also reminisced his early playing days under Sourav Ganguly and explained why the latter is considered an excellent leader.
“As a player you want better support from your captain. It’s all about man management. Sourav Ganguly was probably the best in that. He gave us that freedom that go and enjoy.
“We all were different people. I am different than Rahul Dravid. Zaheer Khan is different to me. Ashish Nehra is different. He let everyone be themselves without trying to change their personalities. That’s how he got the best out from all of us. MS Dhoni carried forward that legacy from Sourav and then Rohit took it forward. I hope in the future whoever will become Team India’s captain he will do the same,” he stated.
