「ロヒット・シャルマほど優れたキャプテンはいない」 – ICCチャンピオンズトロフィーに先立ってアカシュ・ディープがインド人キャプテンを支持

Rohit Sharma is under fire. His credentials as a test captain and batter are being questioned. Such was his performance that he’d had to drop himself before the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The decision to overbowl Jasprit Bumrah, which led to injury, was criticised; playing two spinners in Melbourne and Sydney wasn’t praised either, and moving KL Rahul to number three to promote himself was heavily scrutinised.

To top this, many wanted Rohit Sharma to not just step down as the Test captain but retire from the format. The Indian skipper didn’t do either and for now, continues to be the India cricket team’s designated opener and captain in red-ball cricket. Amid all of this, Akash Deep has come out and defended his captain.

The pacer played in Brisbane and Melbourne, replacing Harshit Rana in the XI. He praised the leadership of Rohit Sharma, labelling that luck evaded him and the team. “I’ve said this before and will say it again—there’s no better captain than Rohit bhai. He’s the best leader in the world. I’m lucky to have played under him. In the BGT, he played the way he always has, but luck wasn’t on his side,” Akash told the Times of India.

He went on to say that Rohit Sharma keeps things simple as the captain. He doesn’t put unnecessary pressure on newcomers in the Indian team, and even if things don’t go their way, he just tells them to do the hard work and that he’ll take care of the rest.

“That’s what great leaders do—they prioritize the team over themselves. Rohit bhai’s leadership has always been inspiring, making it easier for newcomers like me to perform. He doesn’t complicate things. Sometimes, when things don’t go your way, a good leader guides you through those moments. Rohit bhai is that leader. He’s the backbone of our bowling unit. He always says, “Tu aise daal, agar ye karega to aise hoga. Tu daal, main hoon na” (Bowl like this; if he reacts a certain way, I’ll handle it). His support and encouragement are invaluable,” Akash added.