IPL 2021: “Feel proud to play under him” - MI teammates pay tribute to Rohit Sharma as Hitman completes 10 years with franchise

Mumbai Indians teammates have hailed captain Rohit Sharma’s massive contribution to the team as the cricketer completes 10 years with the IPL’s most successful franchise.

After representing the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in the earlier years, Rohit Sharma was purchased by Mumbai Indians at the IPL 2011 auction and has been with the franchise ever since.

Praising Rohit Sharma’s captaincy skills, batsman Suryakumar Yadav said the Team India opener a calm and composed leader. According to Yadav:

“When the team is doing well, everything falls in place. Everything looks good. But when the team is under the pump, what a leader does at that time, that is very important. I have seen him (Rohit Sharma) at that time. He is very calm and cool."

Ishan Kishan, who made his T20I debut for India recently with Yadav in the series against England, added that is a proud feeling to play under Rohit Sharma.

“We know how he is as a captain, as a player. How important he is in the team. And the way he looks are each and everyone in the team, it is so good to see him in the field. And I feel proud to play under him,” wicketkeeper-batsman Kishan stated.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar revealed how Rohit Sharma makes players feel comfortable. He explained:

“When a bowler is being hit for boundaries, he understands that the bowler might be nervous, so he makes sure to talk to him. When I am on my bowling run up, he asks me to take some time and talk to him before bowling. These little things are what makes him special.”

Not only the players, but even the Mumbai Indians coaches have enjoyed their association with Rohit Sharma. Bowling coach Shane Bond described him as his favorite player in the world to watch bat. He elaborated:

“One of the great things about the IPL is that the best players in the world play in this tournament and you get to see them on a day-to-day basis. You come up against some of the best players in the world. I get to see Ro (Rohit Sharma) bat in the nets everyday. He is my favorite player because of how easy he makes it look. The shots he can play, the way he goes about his work. This is now my seventh season. You see his family, having children. That’s cool to be part of.”

Rohit Sharma has featured in 201 IPL games so far and has 5249 runs to his name at an average of 31.24 and a strike rate of 130.60.

It’s all about learning from everyone: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was made Mumbai Indians captain in 2013 after Ricky Ponting stepped down midway through the season. MI won the title that year and have added four more to their kitty, all under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.

Reflecting on his long association with MI as skipper, Rohit Sharma said:

“This is my eighth year of captaincy. So all these seven years that I have captained, I have learned so much from different coaches, different players who have played. You meet different individuals at different points in time during the season because there are new players who come into the squad. You try and talk to them. They have different ideas. So as a captain you need to understand or give him that comfort. Give him that space, so that he is comfortable.”

We've been here before and we've come back stronger! 💪Skipper Ro has his say on yesterday's result against RCB 💬#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #MIvRCB #IPL2021 @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/tVEugCmohE

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 10, 2021

Mumbai Indians began their title defence with a close two-wicket loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening encounter of IPL 2021 in Chennai on Friday.