"Rohit Sharma is the player who gave me sleepless nights" - Gautam Gambhir

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir recently heaped praise on Rohit Sharma. The cricketer-turned-commentator hailed the right-handed batter as the most successful IPL captain in the tournament's history.

Speaking on Star Sports, Gambhir admitted that he was unfazed by explosive batters like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. He did, however, single out Sharma as the sole player that kept him up at night during his captaincy stints in the cash-rich league. Gambhir said:

"As captain, Rohit Sharma is the only player who gave me sleepless nights. Neither Chris Gayle nor AB de Villiers nor anyone else, only Rohit Sharma. He is the player who gave me sleepless nights." There is no more successful cricketer in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) than Rohit Sharma as captain."

Sharma replaced Ricky Ponting as the captain of Mumbai Indians in 2013. Since then, he has led the team to five title victories in the flagship T20 competition.

Meanwhile, Gambhir is a key part of the Lucknow Super Giants think tank. The new franchise has roped in the two-time IPL winning captain as a mentor for IPL 2022.

"Rohit Sharma's name is forever on top for Mumbai Indians" - Irfan Pathan

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also acknowledged Sharma's significant contribution to Mumbai Indians' success. He opined that the 34-year-old has etched his name in the history books with his superlative performances as captain in the league.

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Pathan said on Star Sports:

"Rohit Sharma will always be remembered in the history of Mumbai Indians and IPL. Rohit Sharma's name is forever on top for Mumbai Indians."

The 2022 edition of the IPL schedule will kick off on March 26. MI will begin their IPL 2022 schedule on March 27 with a clash against Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2022: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Udadkat, Mayank Markande, N Tilak Varma, Sanjay Yadav, Jofra Archer, Daniel Sams, Tymal Mills, Tim David, Arshad Khan, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Fabian Allen, Aryan Juyal, Riley Meredith.