T20 World Cup 2022: “He is a team-first type of captain” - Daren Sammy hails Team India skipper Rohit Sharma

West Indies’ two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain, Daren Sammy, has praised current Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, terming him a “team-first” type of captain.

Rohit took charge of the Indian team in T20Is after Virat Kohli stepped down from the post following the conclusion of last year’s World Cup in the UAE. The 35-year-old was subsequently named Team India’s all-format captain.

Rohit will be at the helm in Australia as India look to win their first T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007. Hailing the star batter for his leadership skills, Sammy told journalist Vimal Kumar in an interview on the latter’s YouTube channel:

“I love the way he captains. That’s why Mumbai Indians have been one of the most successful IPL franchises. He is not a ‘him-first’ but a ‘team-first’ type of captain. When you have a leader that could motivate men, it doesn’t matter who does the job for the team, the team comes first. And Rohit Sharma comes across like that to me.”

Rohit has excelled as a leader in T20Is ever since taking over as full-time captain. Under him, India recently registered a series win over Australia and have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead against South Africa. However, they faltered in the Asia Cup, failing to get past the Super 4 round.

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“You have an app on your phone and you have to keep updating it” - Sammy on Rohit-led India’s aggressive approach

Following their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE, India have made a conscious effort to be a lot more aggressive, especially with the bat. Rohit has led the way at the top, often sacrificing his wicket for the team’s cause.

There have been mixed reactions to Team India’s modified approach. Sammy, however, backed Rohit and Co. He explained:

“You have an app on your phone and you have to keep updating it. When they won, that (old) method was okay. But when you have teams that are capable of hitting boundaries, their chances of them scoring quicker than you will always be there. If you consolidate too much, you set yourself back. And if the people consolidating get out, then you have two new batters coming in.

“If you go hard and try to put the bowlers under pressure early, even if you lose wickets, you are so high in the run-rate, you can still consolidate. That’s what I see has changed with Rohit Sharma and India now. They have the personnel to actually do it. It would be interesting to see how it goes at this year’s World Cup in Australia.”

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign Down Under by taking on arch-rivals Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23.