“He’s grown as a leader”: Pollard on 10 years MI captain Rohit Sharma

MUMBAI: April 24, 2023, was a special day for India but it was doubly special for Mumbai Indians. The day did not just mark the great Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th birthday, but it also marked the ten-year anniversary of Rohit Sharma captaining Mumbai Indians for the first time ever.

As the Mumbai Indians return to the Wankhede Stadium to take on Rajasthan Royals on Sunday in IPL 2023, the team and coaching staff spoke about captain ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma’s decade at the helm.

Kieron Pollard, the team’s batting coach and one of the players in the MI setup, when Rohit took over captaincy in the middle of the season in 2013, said, “He’s grown as a leader. I mean he’s grown into leadership. Obviously, it was entrusted onto him in 2013 in the middle of a season. He was still pretty young at that point in time.”

Pollard said that in spite of being young when he first took charge, Rohit was a quick learner and always showed leadership potential.

“That shows you that a person has a great acumen of what he can accomplish and we are lucky to have him as a leader. He has a wealth of experience, so it’s a matter of tapping into that and continuing to see him grow,” he said.

Describing Rohit’s career so far as “incredible”, bowling coach Shane Bond pointed out the impact that Rohit has had as a personality.

“He’s such a big personality around our group, on and off the field and particularly in leading this team to where we are now, he has done a brilliant job,” Bond said.

Suryakumar Yadav, who is one of the pillars of the batting lineup, said that Rohit’s numbers as captain speaks for themselves and that his journey with the MI has been an incredible story.

“Here we are in his 10th year as captain. So obviously 10 years as captain, that too for a franchise like Mumbai Indians. I think it is a very, very big achievement. It’s a story in itself. He’s brought so much glory for the franchise, winning five trophies under his captaincy,” Yadav said.

Ishan Kishan, the opener in the team, highlighted Rohit’s contribution to the team as captain, “Winning 5 Championship as Captain is a great achievement. I know how he is as a captain, he’s done so much for the team.”

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green credited Rohit as a key factor in the team’s legacy, saying, “The success that Mumbai have had, a lot of that is to do with him.”

Rohit’s way of dealing with youngsters and the way he conducts himself in a team environment make him a great leader, feels fielding coach James Pamment.

“A great strength of his is that he encourages the young Indian players very well. Captains just know how to pull the strings and that’s one of the things Rohit has done extremely well from being a very young captain when he first won the championship to maturing in the job. In a big competition like this, he’s got a nice manner about him,” former New Zealand cricketer James Pamment said.