File photo: Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma

MUMBAI: India will watch their former captain in action on Saturday ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against the United States at the Wankhede Stadium Rohit Sharma Taking the coveted trophy (which he lifted in Barbados on June 29, 2024) to the podium. Rohit is the tournament ambassador for this World Cup.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!While his selfless bursts as an opener may rival the other Sharma in Abhishek, one wonders whether Rohit, who has played in every T20 World Cup since 2007, will be missed more as a leader. Of course, in Suryakumar Yadav India also created a brilliant record in the shortest format.

However, in the pressure-filled environment of a home World Cup, Rohit is often a Zen architect with excellent man-management skills, coupled with tactical empathy for the bowlers and composure in crucial moments, and he is likely to be on Sky’s speed dial during the course of the tournament.Former India pacer and bowling coach Pallas MambreHaving performed well in three ICC tournaments (2022 T20 WC, 2023 ODI WC and 2024 T20 WC) with head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma, he feels that the pragmatic approach of the current regime is based on the reality of Rohit not being in the team. “There won’t be any question of missing him.”Mambre, however, praised skipper Rohit’s influence, especially after India ended the 11-year ICC trophy drought between the United States and West Indies. He also echoed Jasprit Bumrah’s view of Rohit as the “bowlers’ captain” who allowed the bowlers to set the field and step in only when their plans weren’t working. Paras explained why he became a bowling captain despite being a devastating and elegant opening batsman who prioritized impact over milestones.

“He was completely involved in the bowlers’ meetings. When you captain and play in the World Cup, there are a lot of other things that happen. However, he devoted a lot of time to the bowlers and us as coaches. He was there to conduct discussions. This gives us great communication on the field because we know the captain is very clear about the plan. The bowlers locked in on them too. If things don’t go his way, he has options ready. What truly makes a great captain is the instinct to read a situation and rely on the opposite of the popular option. “This might explain how he rotates his resources in the two high-stakes games of the 2024 T20 World Cup. In New York’s 119-run defense against Pakistan in the league phase, he kept stopping Bumrah instead of desperately searching for wickets on a pitch that had begun to soften. Instead, in the final, when South Africa needed 30 off 30 balls and Barbados had six wickets left, he used Bumrah in the 16th and 18th overs instead of waiting for him to bowl in the 18th and 20th overs.Paras believes that when things are not going well, bowlers and teams look for calmness from their leaders and that is what Rohit gives them. “Rohit was not very expressive and his body language was calm. This takes the pressure off and prevents it from shifting to the bowlers. In that match against Pakistan, even though he wanted the bowlers to defend 120 and look for wickets, he never looked desperate.”Apart from prioritizing a high batting pace in the powerplay, the Rohit-Rahul Dravid era may also go down in history as India’s most data-driven brain trust. Paras agreed, stressing that Rohit often called analyst Hari Prasad Mohan late at night before World Cup matches to say he needed some data on players.“Another great guy, Hari, he works very hard behind the scenes. In conversations, he often tells me and Rahul: ‘Rohit calls me late at night and wants some specific data.’ This shows that Rohit is thinking all the time,” Paras stressed.However, in a team environment, the challenge is often getting people to understand your point of view or buy into your plan. Rohit has invested heavily in statistics, that’s for one thing. How does he get others to accept that data is important and filter it in a way that doesn’t complicate matters? “I don’t think anyone told him they were uncomfortable with the numbers,” Paras revealed, adding that he had a talent for filtering information in a way that bowlers felt comfortable. “Perhaps, some X wants to know four things. Others only want to know two things, depending on which phase of the game he is bowling and to whom. He solves both problems very well.”While Sky have absorbed much of Rohit’s captaincy style, Paras feels it would be a mistake to compare individuals. “When you give the responsibility to a captain, you have to allow him to operate the way he wants. Not every game is going to go the way you want, but as long as you stay consistent with your thought process, things should be fine.”

— Stats: Rajesh Kumar