Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has shared insights into the captaincy styles of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. Having played under both leaders, Harbhajan offers a unique perspective on their approaches.
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have both been pillars of Indian cricket, each achieving remarkable success as captains. Dhoni has led India to victories in the T20 World Cup (2007), the ODI World Cup (2011), and the Champions Trophy (2013). Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has guided India to two Asia Cup titles and the T20 World Cup 2024.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL), both Dhoni and Rohit have been highly successful, each securing five titles, making them the most successful captains in IPL history. While Dhoni has retired from international cricket and stepped down from the IPL captaincy, Rohit continues to serve as India’s captain in Test and ODI formats.
Harbhajan Singh opens up on the difference between MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma
During a podcast “Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli,” ex-India offspinner Harbhajan Singh revealed the main difference between the captaincy styles of both these players. Harbhajan reckoned that both are completely different characters in terms of nature.
According to Harbhajan, Dhoni expects the players to learn themselves whereas Rohit puts his hand on the shoulders of the players and always backs them for their respective roles.
“Dhoni and Rohit are completely different captains, nature-wise. Dhoni never goes and talks to a player. He always asks players to learn themselves from their mistakes. On the other end, Rohit Sharma goes to the players and will talk to them. He is someone who will put his arm on your shoulder and tell what is expected from the player. He will fill you up with energy,” Harbhajan Singh said during the podcast.
Harbhajan Singh also gave an example in which he narrated an incident when MS Dhoni wanted his teammate to learn from his mistakes rather than telling him to change his length. The incident happened when Harbhajan was a part of Chennai Super Kings with Dhoni as the captain.
“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,” Harbhajan narrated.
“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,” the former India spinner added.
Rohit Sharma led India to T20 World Cup 2024 title win
Rohit Sharma’s wait to win an ICC trophy as India’s captain finally came to an end in the T20 World Cup 2024 when India lifted the trophy by defeating South Africa in the final. It was an emotional moment for Rohit who had come extremely close last year to becoming a World Cup-winning captain but India lost to Australia in the final of the tournament.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best captains this game has ever produced. Dhoni is the only captain in the world to win three major ICC titles, i.e., ICC ODI World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup, and ICC Champions Trophy.
