Rohit Sharma started his full-time captaincy of India’s limited-overs team with a bang in the first ODI of the ongoing three-match ODI series against the West Indies on Sunday (February 6) in Ahmedabad.
Rohit played really well both as captain and as an opener as the Indian cricket team crushed the West Indies by 6 wickets in the first ODI to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series on Sunday.
He also took as many as three correct DRS calls, and it played a key role in restricting West Indies to 176 in the first ODI.
The right-hander then played a brilliant knock of 60 runs, as well as stitched an opening partnership of 84 runs with Ishan Kishan (28) to help Team India chase down 177 runs with ease in the first ODI in Ahmedabad.
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Well, apart from Rohit’s performance on the field, former captain and star batter, Virat Kohli, was also the center of attraction of the first ODI on Sunday.
Everybody knows that Kohli doesn't hold back from expressing his emotions on the field, and there was nothing different in the ODI series opener against the West Indies. Kohli even convinced Rohit to take a DRS review against Shamarh Brooks, which turned out to be a successful one.
Reacting to the same, former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja said that Kohli's exit from the captaincy doesn't sideline him, saying the former captain had leadership qualities since his early days and will always remain a leader.
Ajay Jadeja said on Cricbuzz: “Sport is an instinctive thing. You have captained India in so many games and played a key role in making moves. You will react the same way even when you are not leading the team. He wasn't a backbencher who became the captain. Even he was not the captain, he had leadership qualities. No one had told Virat to pick up Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders after India won the 2011 World Cup.”
The former India batter added, “He's always been a leader and I doubt if he holds back. His energy and mindset made him successful... and five people who have been appointed by someone else now feel that Virat's not the captain. But his quality and skills are still the same. Players and selectors come and go but a leader always remains a leader.”
Meanwhile, Pragyan Ojha said: “It was good to see Virat being involved in the proceedings, which is a healthy thing for the Indian team. It's good to see that he's left behind things that have happened recently.
He must be thinking, 'Though I'm not the captain, I am a leader and my role is to guide youngsters and support the current skipper'. His involvement which we saw on the screen was indirectly hinted that he's ready to leave things behind and carry the team forward.”
Ojha signed off by saying, “His exit has been discussed a lot lately and as a member of the Indian team, any player would not wish that his focus gets shifted towards these things. India is preparing for a long season with the T20 World Cup and 50-over World Cup in the next two years.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
