Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Laud MS Dhoni for Revolutionizing Their Careers

New Delhi: Indian captain Rohit Sharma has opened up about the significant influence former captain MS Dhoni had on his career. Rohit shared that Dhoni consistently lifted the morale of young players by consistently supporting them and standing up for them in challenging situations.

MS Dhoni is more recognized as a person who made the Indian cricket team achieve different great victories in every format of the game. He was the main reason behind developing key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja; hence, his talent grooming skills are highly praised.

Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made their debut for the Indian National Cricket Team. The duo has, ever since, grown into the mainstays of Indian cricket and raised the performance bar of the team in every format.

Early in his career, Rohit Sharma used to really struggle to find a place in the team. But it was MS Dhoni’s decision to push him up the order during the 2013 Champions Trophy that turned his luck. Since then, Rohit has been one of the premier openers of the game and is now leading the team.

Recollecting the influence of Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, who finally accepted the retirement of Dhoni from international cricket on August 15, 2020, spoke about how the former skipper gave a lot of security to the youngsters concerning different game situations. Rohit praised Dhoni for making players confident and feel secured.

.@msdhoni: The leader #TeamIndia and the young stars needed

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— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 15, 2024

“I made my World Cup debut under him (Dhoni), which was 2007 and since then we’ve had a very long journey, played a lot of cricket together. His ability to just be with the youngster and encourage him, no matter what the situation of the game is, no matter what the performance of a player is, he just tries to make sure that there is enough composure around that player, the player doesn’t feel insecure, and that I think is a very very important thing when the player just comes into the team.

“And even for a player who has played a lot of games, for him also, he might go through a bad patch, you need someone to just come around you and just pat your back and say ‘hey nothing to worry about, you’ve got all the ability, talent and everything, just need to go out there and enjoy. You need that kind of backing and support from your captain and that is what we all got when he was captain,” Rohit Sharma told Star Sports.

Virat Kohli, who also made his debut under MS Dhoni, acknowledged the deep understanding of the game that came with the former captain. Kohli heralded Dhoni’s tactical acumen in particular, calling back moments when he used to be Dhoni’s deputy. “He had a very good understanding of the game,” he explained:

“His understanding of the game and his understanding of handling pressure is second to none. And his tactical ability, obviously the world has seen for so many years. His tactical brilliance as a captain. When I became captain as well, I used to discuss a lot of things with him.

| Watch @imVkohli discuss how @msdhoni supported him during his captaincy, what sets him apart, what he has learned from him, and more!

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— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 15, 2024

“And the other way around as well, when I was the vice-captain and he was captain, I would constantly go to him with ideas. And that’s why we have such a good and mutually respectful relationship because we both have always fought for the best thing for the team.”