MS Dhoni the person behind Rohit Sharma's success, asserts Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir has insisted that MS Dhoni played a huge role in Rohit Sharma achieving the level of success he has in international cricket at the moment. As a matter of fact, Rohit, who made his debut in 2007, had a very mediocre career until 2012 but Dhoni backed him to the tilt.
Much like his innings construction in ODI cricket, Rohit Sharma's career is also a collision of two contrasting halves. He averaged 30.84 in ODI cricket from 2007 to 2012 but the next seven years have been a different journey, in which he has averaged a stunning 59.47. Three double centuries are a testament to the amazing transformation.Ā
But all of that goes back to MS Dhoniās decision of promoting him to the opening slot ahead of the 2013 Champions Trophy. Gautam Gambhir, who recently labelled Rohit as the best white-ball player in the world at the moment, stated that the credit goes to MS Dhoni for having trust in the latterās abilities.
"Where Rohit Sharma is today, it is because of M.S. Dhoni. You can talk about the selection committee and team management, but if you do not have the backing from your captain then it is all useless. Everything is in the hands of the captain," Gambhir said in Star Sports' Cricket Connected.
"How Dhoni backed Rohit Sharma over a period of time, I don't think any other player has been given such support," he added.
Rohit currently has 9115 runs to his name with a fantastic average of 49.27 in the 50-over format for India while his five centuries in the 2019 World Cup awarded him with the ICC ODI Player of the Year 2019.