Xtra Time Web Desk: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday termed Rohit Sharma a “laid back captain” and said the Mumbaikar should be given sometime to produce results.
With workload management, COVID and injury concerns, India captaincy has become a merry-go-round with as many as seven players to have led the side after the 35-year-old took over from Virat Kohli as full time skipper across formats.
But Ganguly was impressed with the Mumbaikar, who has won a record five Indian Premier League titles for Mumbai Indians and said he should be given a longer rope before being compared with the likes of legendary MS Dhoni and Kohli.
“Rohit sharma is obviously a bit laid back who takes things in a very calm and cautious way and not someone who’s into your face all the time,” Ganguly said during the Bengal Peerless event on ‘Leadership in Modern India’ here.
The former captain was replying to a query on the crop of Indian leaders since he called it quits.
“India has produced some great captains over the years. MS Dhoni who handled the transition fantastically, and continues to bring accolades not just for India but his franchise (Chennai Super Kings).
“Then came Virat Kohli who also has a fantastic record. He was a different sort of captain, he did things differently.
“Every individual is different but what matters is the result and how many wins and losses you have. I don’t compare captains, everybody has their way of leadership.
“We give responsibility to someone, then we want him to do the things the way we want it and I think that’s not correct. When you back someone let him captain, give him a bit of time to give results and then see what happens.”
Ganguly’s decision to bowl in the 2003 World Cup final at the Wanderers in Johannesburg may have come in for a bit of criticism as the Ricky Poting-led side toyed with the Indian attack to post a massive 359/2.
Australia won by a massive 125-run en route to their second successive triumph.
No regrets on the decision, Ganguly said.
“I don’t think in retrospect. I was disappointed that I lost the final but I don’t think toss was the reason to lose the final. We did not play well,” he said.
Asked to comment on FIFA’s ban of Indian football, he said: “I don’t deal with football so I won’t be able to answer that question. But I think every sports body has a system, every sports body has its rules and regulations. We at BCCI also have rules and protocols.”