Rohit Sharma has grown in stature ever since he took over the leadership role of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has four titles to his name – the most by any skipper in the competition. Recently, former India cricketer VVS Laxman explained why Rohit Sharma is the most successful IPL captain.
The elusive batsman took over the reins from Ricky Ponting who stepped down midway in 2013. While many forwarded the name of Dinesh Karthik, the former Australia skipper himself backed Rohit Sharma to take the baton. And the rest is history.
Rohit Sharma was a standout performer for us: VVS Laxman
From 2013 onwards, Rohit-led Mumbai has won the championship on four occasions (2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019) and remain the most successful franchise in the tournament’s history; closely followed by arch-rivals, MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Speaking on his success, VVS Laxman, who has witnessed the growth of Rohit Sharma from close quarters, said his ability to handle pressure makes him a standout candidate.
“In each and every match, with each and every success, his confidence level was just growing, he was getting into the core group, helping the youngsters, voicing his opinion and those were early signs,” Laxman said to Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’.
“But for me, most importantly was handling the pressure because not once in those tough situations when he was batting did it show, and he has evolved and blossomed. That’s why he’s one of the most successful captains in IPL history,” he added.
Meanwhile, the swashbuckling batsman was initially a part of the Deccan Chargers before shifting his base to Mumbai. VVS Laxman admitted that Rohit Sharma impressed in his very first season with the bat. Currently, he is the third-highest run-scorer with 4898 runs in 188 matches at an average of 31.60 with the highest score of 109 not out.
“He became a leader in the Deccan Chargers team. When he came in the first year, he was a youngster who just played the T20 World Cup, made his international debut for India.
I think the way he was batting in the middle order, under pressure because the team didn’t do well in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008 … Rohit was a standout performer for us,” Laxman concluded.