He knows when to be lenient, when to pull back: Dhawan lauds Rohit as ‘matured’ leader

Dubai, Feb 27 (IANS) Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has hailed his ex-opening partner and dear friend Rohit Sharma as a captain and said the India skipper has matured as a leader, noting that he knows how to work in a pressure situation and maintain a fine balance between when to be lenient and when to pull back.

Sharing his thoughts on Rohit as a captain in a special series, “The Shikhar Dhawan Experience”, the former cricketer also highlighted Rohit’s bond with the teammates

“From 2013 to 2025, 12 years of experience is a lot. Rohit has been through a lot. He knows how to work in a pressure situation and how to gather the boys. As a leader, he has become mature; he knows when to be lenient and when to pull back. It’s a fine balance, and Rohit’s bond with the boys is amazing. We are in a great situation,” Dhawan said on Star Sports and JioHotstar.

Dhawan, who was Rohit’s opening partner for nine years, recalled the time when he opened the innings with Rohit for the first time at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and revealed it was the then captain MS Dhoni’s idea to promote Rohit as an opener.

“This opening pair decision was made half a day prior to that match. At that time, I was also new, and I was in my own world. I had made a comeback and needed to perform well. But MS Dhoni took this decision and instructed Rohit to open. So I didn’t think much about it. I thought if Rohit opens, we’ll enjoy batting together,” Dhawan revealed.

“We got such a great start in the first match. We were at 100 without losing a wicket. We didn’t score 30 -35 runs up to the 10th over because the wicket was seaming. But I never thought that our pair would be so massive and we would play together for 10 years,” he added.

Dhawan also spoke about his friendship and camaraderie with Rohit and said, “We trust with each other and our understanding and level of communication was very high. On the field and off the field our bond is the same. We played together, we have partied together after winning so many series.”

“We have played as a team. That whole journey and even before playing in India, when Rohit was 16 -17 years old, I played in the Under-19 World Cup. So, we have been together and have been friends since then,” he added.

In the ongoing Champions Trophy, Rohit-led India have sealed a place in the semifinal with a game left in the group stage. They will play New Zealand in a final group game on Sunday in Dubai.

–IANS

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