With Captaincy Gone, Rohit Sharma Can Focus Fully on Batting, Feels Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra opined that Rohit Sharma will play more freely and focus better on his batting now that he is no longer India’s captain.

Former India spinner Amit Mishra feels Rohit Sharma will benefit from being free of captaincy duties as he returns to international cricket. Rohit is set to play in the first ODI against Australia on October 19 in Perth, marking his comeback as a specialist opener.

The 37-year-old last led India during their unbeaten Champions Trophy campaign, scoring a match-winning 76 off 83 balls in the final. The selectors, headed by Ajit Agarkar, have now handed the ODI leadership to Shubman Gill. Mishra believes the change will allow Rohit to focus entirely on his batting.

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“I believe it is good for Rohit that the pressure of captaincy is not on him anymore. He has the freedom. He has to focus on his performance and helping the team win and can help Gill with different aspects of the captaincy,” said Mishra.

How Early Leadership Could Shape Shubman Gill’s Future

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has faced significant leadership responsibilities since May. He led India on a challenging five-match Test tour of England, scoring a record 754 runs at an average of 75.40, including a career-best 269, as the series ended 2-2.

Mishra believes early exposure to captaincy will benefit Gill’s long-term growth.

“I think it is good for Gill. He has been captaining in the IPL for the last two years. He has led the top players across the globe. It is good that Gill is being looked at as the captain. Since he has been handed the captaincy early, he will mature quickly and can serve India for a long time. Gill should enjoy and look to mature as quickly as possible,” he concluded.