File photo of Rohit Sharma© BCCI/Sportzpics
Since the Cricket World Cup 2023 final heartbreak, India captain Rohit Sharma will return to international cricket for the first time, leading the Indian team in the 2-match Test series against South Africa. While Rohit and several other Indian cricketers are expected to be still a little heartbroken over what happened against Australia in the World Cup final, Rohit will be a man in the spotlight over multiple affairs that have transpired in the past few weeks. As there remains a lack of clarity over Rohit’s future in the Indian team, former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has called him the ‘most selfless cricketer’ he has seen in a long time.
Ahead of the start of the Test series, Doull couldn’t stop lauding Rohit for how he has led the Indian team, becoming the most selfless version of himself.
“It will be about tempering his game a little bit. The one thing I have observed about Rohit Sharma in the last 10-18 months is that he has probably been the most selfless Indian cricketer I have seen in a long, long time. He has done everything he possibly could for his team to win. He made this team, he played in a certain way to allow the others in the team to be able to play the way they play, in white-ball cricket in particular,” Doull told Star Sports after India won the ODI series on Thursday.
Doull also feels Rohit is no longer just a good white-ball captain. The Kiwi cricketer-turned-commentator sees new and improved leadership qualities in the Hitman.
“In the World Cup, we saw that he set the tone at the top of the order, which allowed the middle order to play the way they played. So, it’s a slight change for him, not too much. I still want him to be that aggressive Rohit Sharma. We do see it in Test matches,” he added.
“The captaincy thing. He is getting really better. He has become a very, very good captain. He was always a very good white-ball captain, but I think he has become a slightly more aggressive red-ball captain. I am looking forward to seeing more of that through this series,” Doull added.