‘He’s Someone Who Will Put His Arm Around’: Harbhajan Singh’s Honest Take On MS Dhoni-Rohit Sharma Captaincy Style

MS Dhoni is one of the greatest captains that world cricket has ever witnessed. He is the only leader on the earth to guide his team to ICC ODI World Cup win, T20 World Cup win, Champions Trophy triumph, and world No. 1 ranking in Tests. Indian cricket saw a golden period under the captaincy of MS Dhoni from 2007 to 2013. Fans after witnessing Dhoni’s greatness started expecting the same from Rohit Sharma the moment he became the captain of the Indian cricket team. Rohit stood on fans’ expectations and guided India to win the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who spent his time on the field under the leadership of both Dhoni and Rohit, came up with interesting thoughts on the duo’s captaincy style.  “Dhoni and Rohit are completely different leaders,” said Harbhajan Singh on the podcast “Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli.”

“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 expects from you. He will give you that confidence that yes you can do it,” said Harbhajan.

“He is leading for 12-13 years MI and then India. That experience show. In the last two-three years, the major change that has come is leading in Tests. In shorter format, you can get away but in tests that is not the case.”

Talking about Rohit’s next assignment, the Indian team will be facing Bangladesh in a two-match Test series starting on September 19. The Indian team will be taking part in their first red-ball series since March 2024 where they outplayed England 4-1.  Bangladesh on the other hand, is coming to India after a massive series win against Pakistan. The BCCI is likely to announce the Indian squad by next week there will not be any big changes in the squad.