"We met them there many times" - Mohammad Kaif's huge revelation on Rohit Sharma after latter's removal as India ODI captain

Former batter Mohammad Kaif has made a striking revelation about Rohit Sharma, noting how the Mumbai cricketer remains fully focused on cricket and constantly discusses his plans for matches. His statement comes following Rohit’s removal from the ODI captaincy, with Shubman Gill being appointed as the new skipper ahead of the three-match series against Australia, starting October 19 in Perth.

On Sunday, October 5, speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Kaif recounted an anecdote from his meeting with Rohit at a hotel during the IPL, where he would always talk about the game, plan strategies, and discuss tactics with players. He shared:

“When I was working during the IPL, there was the Trident Hotel in Mumbai near the Wankhede Ground, where the Mumbai Indians stay. Coincidentally, we commentators were staying there too. At night, on the rooftop where the swimming pool is, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and a few others have a place where they chill.”

“So we met them there many times, and whenever I met Rohit Sharma, he only talked about cricket. Even at night, around 11:30 or 12, after coming from practice at Wankhede, he would start planning, thinking about who to play tomorrow, what the team combination could be, talking to players, explaining things to them,” he added.

The 44-year-old added that Rohit is a leader even off the field, always guiding and supporting his players, and has devoted his heart and soul to the country. Kaif said:

“It means he is a captain even off the field. At night, his family is there, his wife is with him at the hotel, his daughter is there too, but he sacrifices his family time for the team. So, he is not just a captain on the field; he is a captain all the time. His captaincy is not limited to the field. He has devoted his heart and soul to the country.”

“That is why, whenever you meet any player, they always say, ‘Rohit bhai helped me a lot,’ ‘Rohit bhai is a great leader,’ ‘Rohit bhai supported me a lot.’ Why do they say that? The reason is that for him, there is no fixed time for being captain. It is not like, ‘I will be available till this time, then I will go to my room, be with my family, order food, and watch a Netflix movie.’ That is not his routine. His routine is spending time with his players. And that is why people miss him,” he added.

Under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, India clinched the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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“He lost his right hand” - Mohammad Kaif on Rohit Sharma’s removal from the ODI captaincy

In the same video, Mohammad Kaif opined that by removing Rohit Sharma from the captaincy, they have taken away his most vital asset. He said:

“When you take away a captaincy, in my view, it is like cutting off your right hand. Rohit Sharma the opener, Rohit Sharma the leader. I feel that by removing the captaincy, he lost his right hand.”

Rohit captained India in 56 ODIs, winning 42 matches for a win percentage of 75. As captain, he scored 2,506 runs at an average of 52.20, including 17 fifties and five centuries.