'Rohit Always Puts The Team Above Everything'

'He will have no problems playing under any captain, he will still give his 100 percent for the team.'

Rohit Sharma's axing as India's ODI captain came as a bolt from the blue for Indian fans.

Despite leading India to the T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy in the space of nine months, Rohit was shown the door as India's selectors handed the reins of the ODI team to Shubman Gill, who earned rave reviews for his captaincy during the 2-2 Test series draw in England.

Rohit has been named in India's 15-member squad for the three match ODI series in Australia later this month as his ultimate aim of playing in the 2027 World Cup remains alive.

Under Rohit, India enjoyed a stellar record in ODIs, winning 42 out of 56 matches for a win percentage of 75 -- the highest by any Indian captain who has led in 50 or more matches.

His childhood coach Dinesh Lad was taken back by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel's decision to strip Rohit of the captaincy but believes he is good enough to play until the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"Rohit was a great captain, a great leader... his record shows it all -- five IPL titles, Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup, two Asia Cup titles and finishing runners up in 2023 World Cup after losing just one match in the entire tournament."

"But no one can go against the Board. The selectors must have their own reasons," Lad tells Rediff's Harish Kotian.

"When Rohit retired from Tests in May, he could have retired from ODIs also that time but he didn't because his mind was clear to play in the 2027 World Cup. And you know Rohit is not the kind of player who thinks he will only play the 2027 World Cup as captain, he always puts the team above everything."

"He will have no problems playing under any captain, he will still give his 100 percent for the team."

Lad recalled how the 2011 World Cup snub had affected Rohit deeply and how that motivated him to win the ODI World Cup someday for India.

"I remember when he was not included for the 2011 ODI World Cup, he was very down. I consoled him and told him that 'You are not giving enough time for the game, that's why you have faced this setback'. The selectors were definitely considering you but your performances were not up to the mark and that is why Virat Kohli was picked ahead of you.

"That time he had decided that he will win a World Cup, but unfortunately we fell short by just one match in the 2023 World Cup. In the 2019 World Cup also, we were the favourites but we suffered a shock defeat against New Zealand in the semi-finals.

"Rohit was in amazing form in the 2019 World Cup, he had scored five centuries in that tournament. He was sad that despite doing so well with the bat, he was unable to win India the World Cup.

"So maybe in his mind it is there that he has to win the 2027 World Cup."

Lad is confident that despite being the ODI captain for the last four years, Rohit will have no problem playing under Gill's leadership.

"I am sure he has not taken the selectors' decision in the wrong way. He is not that kind of a cricketer. His only focus is the 2027 World Cup. He is very focussed towards that goal. If you see he has worked on his fitness, he has reduced his weight recently. His big target is the World Cup."

"He will be of big help to Gill. Without the burden of captaincy, he will bat with a free mind. He just has to go out there and focus on his batting."

The Australia ODI series will see Rohit return to action after a long gap, having last played a competitive match in the IPL in June. But his coach is not worried about Rohit taking time to find his bearings after a long lay-off.

"People talk about whether he will be the same after a long break but he is that kind of a batter who will take no time to get going even if he is coming from a break. I am sure he will do well in Australia. He looks quite determined to continue his good batting record in white ball cricket."

Lad lauded Rohit's selfless batting during the 2023 World Cup, where his aggressive Powerplay starts set the tone for India's unbeaten run till the final.

"If you see in the 2023 World Cup it was only because of his aggressive starts that the other Indian batters found it easy. If he was selfish, he could have easily scored in every match, he was in such superb form but he played for the team.

"He knew if he attacked the bowlers in the Powerplay it would put his team in a great position. He never cares about personal milestones. He was hitting quickfire half-centuries, but he never looked to slow down and get to the hundred, he kept attacking and laid the platform for the other batters."

Lad stated that Rohit was always born to be a captain, having shown great leadership traits in school cricket.

"He was always a natural leader. I can recollect an incident when he was at my academy and was playing for the Swami Vivekanand International School team. During one of the games, we were playing to qualify for the Harris Shield (Mumbai's senior school cricket tournament) quarter-finals, and we were chasing around 240-plus but we lost a few wickets and were in trouble three wickets down at 30/3 or something.

"That time I sent out a message to Rohit in the middle that 'we have to win this match anyhow and qualify for the Harris Shield quarter-finals for the first time'.

"So he told that player who went out to give the message 'Tell Sir, not to worry, I will win this match for my team' and he went to play a match-winning knock to take us to a memorable victory.

"When he was captain, the school team won a lot of matches under him. So from the start, he showed his pedigree as a leader, he liked to set an example and lead from the front."

Lad, the Dronacharya Award winning coach, was the one who was instrumental in Rohit taking up batting after he had started out a spinner.

"I remember when he started out a young kid he was a spinner but I only insisted he focus on his batting and made him do a lot of batting in the nets. I remember when I sent him to open the innings, he scored a century and that was the turning point for me. He worked hard on his batting from a young age and that is how he went on to become one of the greatest batters in the world in white ball cricket."

On Rohit's famously animated on-field manner as the captain, Lad explained it was part of his Mumbai-style motivation.

"He grew up and played all his cricket in Mumbai where this is all common. He had his own style of motivating his players, he was not shouting at them but it was his casual style of telling them to stay focussed and up their game.

"You can see the players never looked under pressure when playing under his captaincy, everyone looked so happy and cheerful. He would speak to the players personally and understand their side as well, that's what made him special."

Lad, who has also coached Shardul Thakur and has produced nearly 100 cricketers for Mumbai cricket, says the best gift for a coach is when his wards do well at the highest level.

"For me the best moment about Rohit's captaincy is seeing the big trophies in hand -- the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy. For me that was the happiest moment of my life.

"I have seen his journey closely on how he has worked hard for his success. For me that is the biggest prize any coach can get when his ward goes on to achieve success on the world stage and leads his team to glory. I can't asking for anything more."

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