Rohit Sharma said it's been a pleasure to work with Rahul Dravid, who places a premium on maintaining a positive atmosphere away from the field.
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Rohit Sharma, India’s limited-overs captain, opened up about his working relationship with the newly-appointed head coach, Rahul Dravid, saying there is a sense of relaxation in the dressing room under the former India captain’s leadership. Rohit said it’s been a pleasure to work with Dravid, who places a premium on maintaining a positive atmosphere away from the field. Following the conclusion of Ravi Shastri’s tenure as India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid was appointed.
During a T20I series against New Zealand at home, Rohit and Dravid joined hands for the first time. The captain-coach pairing got off to a strong start, with India sweeping the series in Rohit’s first full-time assignment as T20I captain.
Rohit was rested for India’s 1-0 victory over New Zealand in the two-match Test series. He returns to the Test squad for the South African tour after taking over as Test vice-captain from Ajinkya Rahane. Rohit was also named India’s ODI captain earlier this month, succeeding Virat Kohli, who stepped down from the position.
“Working with Rahul Bhai, it was three-odd games but it was fantastic. We know how he has played his cricket, hard and tough. At the same time, there is a sense of relaxation as well. It’s important to keep the atmosphere on the field light and cheerful. When you do your job on the field which is so demanding, you need to have an atmosphere where you can relax, chill around,” Rohit told BCCI TV.
“I have had so many interactions in the past about my personal game. It’s good to have him on the board, I think it will be a fruitful one in the future,” he added.
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India have not won an ICC title since 2013, and Rohit Sharma takes over from Virat Kohli, who has a reputation for being a great limited-overs captain. With five titles, Rohit is the most successful captain in the Indian Premier League, and he has previously won the Asia Cup and a tri-series in Sri Lanka as India captain.
With two World Cups – the T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup – coming up in the next 18 months, Rohit stressed that India’s focus under his leadership will be on winning the eluding ICC trophy.
Rohit stated that the leadership group, which includes him and Dravid, will help players understand their roles and perform with freedom at the highest level.
“Lot of World Cups are coming and India will be eyeing to do well in a lot of them. Our focus is on winning Championship but there is a process that we need to follow as a group,” he said.
“If you need to win the Championship, there are a lot of other things that you first need to take care of, then focus on the end goal. The focus will be on getting better as a player first and then collectively as a team. 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.”
“I have tried making sure that they understand their roles, and that is what it is all about, understanding that role and going out there and performing that role. Because, for us, coach and captain, it is important that we have clear communication and that is what I want to do, making people understand why they have been picked in the team,” he concluded.
