Rohit praises Kohli amid rift reports

‘Virat led from the front for 5 years, enjoyed each & every moment under him’

Mohammed Rumman Khan | NT

Rohit Sharma has opened up about Virat Kohli’s legacy as white-ball captain. Rohit enjoyed “each and every moment” that he played under outgoing white-ball captain Virat Kohli, and still continues to do so.

In his interaction with ‘bcci.tv’, Rohit spoke about how the team under Kohli had a “great time”. Kohli stepped down as T20 captain after the World Cup in the UAE and was subsequently replaced by Rohit as ODI skipper earlier this month.

“Five years that he led the team, he led from the front every time, we stepped on to the park, and there was clear grit and determination to win every game, that was the message to the entire squad,” Rohit said on the sidelines of the Indian Test squad’s training session here ahead of the tour of South Africa later this month. “We have had a great time playing under him (Kohli) and I have played a lot of cricket under him, I have enjoyed each and every moment, still continue to do that,” he added, putting an end to all the conjectures that have floated about the professional relationship between the two.”

‘Control the controllable’ has been the mantra of India captains over the years and Rohit is no exception. “There was clear grit & determination to win every game’ under Kohli’s captaincy.” I have got limited opportunities to lead Team India but whenever I have got an opportunity, I have tried to keep it simple, tried to keep one thing in common, clear communication to players,” he said.

Rohit talks about his relationship with Dravid

Rohit and new head coach Rahul Dravid worked together during the three-match T20 series against New Zealand and the new skipper is very happy with the start that they have had. The side won the rubber 3-0. “We want to create a strong bond between players and that will help us in achieving the goal we want and yeah, Rahul Bhai obviously, is going to help us in doing that. So we look forward to that,” Rohit said. “There has been a sense of relaxation as well because it is important to keep the at m o - sphere light and cheerful,” he said.

Hopes to end India’s world title drought

The Indian team has faced criticism for not being able to win an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy despite having proven and consistent match-winners in its ranks. “The last ICC trophy we won was in 2013, since then we haven’t won but I don’t think we did anything wrong after that,” Rohit said. “We played as a team, we performed as a team, it’s just that we couldn’t get that extra inch that we look forward to,” he said. “There is a lot of World Cup coming up. India will definitely be eyeing to do well in all those World Cups,” he added. -(With inputs from agencies)