Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels that MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have very different styles of captaincy.
While talking on a show called “find a way with Taruwar Kohli, Harbhajan Singh said, “Dhoni and Rohit are completely different leaders.”
“MS Dhoni will never go to a player and will ask him what field you want. He will let you learn from your mistakes,” he said.
Harbhajan recalls an incident from the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he played under MS Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
“I remember a game where I was fielding at the short fine leg and MS Dhoni was keeping. Shardul Thakur was bowling and the first ball Kane Williamson hit him down the ground for a boundary. Next ball, same length and Williamson played the same shot. I went to MS and asked him to tell Shardul try and bowl different length. MS said to me ‘Paji If I will tell him now, then he will never learn. Let him learn by himself.’ His thought process was that when Shardul will get hit for boundaries, he will learn it quickly. That was MS Dhoni’s way,” recollected Harbhajan.
While talking about Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh said, “Rohit is very different. He will go and talk to each player. He is someone who will put his arm around your shoulder and tell you what he wants from you. He will give you that confidence that yes you can do it.”
He further added that Rohit Sharma has now become a better captain after gaining the Test captaincy.
He said, “The biggest change that has come in Rohit is when he started captaining in Test cricket. As a Test captain, you learn a lot. In T20s there are many moments that you overlook but in Test cricket you can’t do that. In Test cricket, the captain runs everything. His tactics, his executions are very crucial to win a Test match, that makes you an excellent leader. Steve Waugh’s name comes to my mind immediately because he was so good. If you are doing well as a captain in Test cricket, then leading in the T20Is and ODIs becomes easier.”
