'Rohit knows what his strengths are' - Kapil Dev pins Hitman as one among the best Indian captains

Rohit Sharma has engraved his name in Indian cricket for his effortless batting and the India opener is being lauded for his captaincy. Rohit has led India into the semifinals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the finals of the World Test Championship in 2023, and the finals of the World Cup 2023. After taking the captaincy baton from Virat Kohli, he has procured great results for the team but has failed to claim the ICC silverware. 

As the Hitman gives one more shot at the coveted T20 World Cup 2024 trophy, former India captain, Kapil Dev has hailed the cricketer as the team man. He asserted the stark difference between Rohit and Virat Kohli’s demeanor and termed the former as someone who keeps the dressing room atmosphere jovial. For the unversed, Kohli stepped down from the white-ball captaincy position in 2021 and subsequently from Tests in 2022.

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“Rohit knows what his strengths are. When a player knows his strengths, he picks them up early. If Virat Kohli can lift a 150-250 KG dumbbell, that does not mean anyone can. Rohit has good knowledge about his game and plays within himself. He does not play like Virat, and he does not jump around a lot. He knows his limitations. Within those limitations, there is no better player. Not even Virat Kohli," Kapil said to ABP News.

It's not necessary that good players are great captains: Dev

Kapil, who led India to their first World Cup title in 1983, highlighted that leadership has its share of sacrifices. He provided an example of India legend, Sachin Tendulkar who refrained from captaining the side, and provided MS Dhoni as an example for letting go of personal preferences. The former India all-rounder added that Rohit has a knack for keeping the team ahead of himself and keeping the side happy.

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“It's not necessary that good players are great captains. Sachin Tendulkar and Richard Hadlee did not want to do captaincy. Some players have a passion for captaincy but they have to make a lot of sacrifices. MS Dhoni sacrificed a lot to give youngsters a chance. I did not think Rohit will be well sorted but what we hear is, he keeps the dressing room easy. Some big players do captaincy just for themselves. This is why Rohit has a big tick mark because he keeps the entire team happy)," he added.