Thinking about the players' requirement stepping into their shoes: Rohit Sharma

NEW DELHI: It has been a stellar 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup for India captain and opener Rohit Sharma. Under him, India have won all five of their league matches so far and Rohit himself has been giving the team blistering starts in the first ten overs to set the base for successful chases.

With India set to play against defending champions England in Lucknow on October 29, Rohit shared his thoughts on leading the hosts’ in the global event and how he is managing everyone in the team, stressing on knowing the individual first.

“I think when it comes to managing players, it’s quite important that you understand the individual first and their requirement, what are the likes and dislikes of that particular individual because you know in a team sport it’s just not about one or two individuals or few individuals, it’s about everyone.”

“We do understand as well that when you want to win championships, big tournaments, everyone need to come to the party and play their part. So, it’s important that you keep everyone in good mental space. So, it’s very important to hear everyone out, understand what they want, how they want to operate and things like that and then you take everything into consideration and move forward and that is something that I always do,” he said to Star Sports.

In the first power-play of 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup, Rohit has made 197 runs, with a strike-rate of 134, smashing 22 fours and 12 sixes, becoming an all-out attacker for India in the first ten overs of their innings.

Rohit revealed that he practices empathy to get a sense of how to manage the team and its individuals, a practice which he says hasn’t come to him naturally. “I try and put myself in their shoes and think about what this individual will be needing now. So, it’s important to think like that and you know luckily, I have got good bunch of guys around me; the players, the support staffs are quite understanding in terms of the requirement of the team, the players and everyone.”

“So, yeah that is something that I wouldn’t say comes naturally to me, I've learned it over the years, gone through my personal experiences and understood what is needed for a team to be successful. I think what is needed to be successful is to understand everyone's need, their requirement and give them that space and freedom to go and execute their job and their roles.”

“Because it can be quite daunting at times because when you are playing such a high -profile tournament, the pressure can get to you at times. So, it's important to just stay together as a team, understand what each one needs to be in that good zone where they can come out and play free cricket and not worry about what is happening outside,” he concluded.