‘One thing he did well was look after his players’ – Abhishek Nayar on Rohit Sharma’s capatincy

Former Indian batting coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed details on Rohit Sharma‘s leadership style, pointing out anecdotes from instances during their tenure together.

Rohit retired from Test cricket ahead of the 2025 series against England, stepping down from the captaincy. Before his retirement, he oversaw a series whitewash against New Zealand at home, ending India’s unbeaten streak at home. He also led the team in three Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where India lost 3-1 in a five-match series. 

Speaking of an incident from the aftermath of the New Zealand series, Nayar recounted how Rohit would stand front and centre in taking responsibility when the team lost or played poorly, and would avoid pinning blame on other individuals.

“We had Rohit Sharma as captain, and I remember him coming out after the Mumbai Test [vs New Zealand] and saying in the press conference, ‘It’s okay. We’ve won so many series, we’ve lost this one, and I’ll take responsibility for it.’ That’s who Rohit was. There was always that side of him that could lighten the mood and make sure the team was okay. Of course, whenever India loses, it hurts everyone.

“But the one thing he did exceptionally well was look after his players.He would think about who had been affected the most, who hadn’t scored runs, and how he could make them feel better. The quality I admired most about Rohit was that he always took responsibility. He would never come out and blame anyone by saying, ‘You did this’ or ‘You did that.’ Instead, he would put his hand up and say, ‘I failed.’ You would never hear him making excuses or throwing someone under the bus,” Nayar said, speaking on JioStar.

Nayar further added that Rohit’s communication with the players as a captain was well-managed, and he would look to make sure all players knew and understood everything he was explaining. Referring to Sanju Samson, who did not make the playing XI for the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Nayar stated that Rohit took time out to speak to Samson about the decision to make him understand what was going on. 

“I remember the Sydney Test when Rohit didn’t play. He still came out, gave the interview, and said exactly what he had to say. He never sugar-coated anything. That’s why the team trusted him. Ask any young cricketer, even today, and they’ll speak very fondly about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. They’ll tell you that even when he scolded them, they took it seriously because they knew it came from a place of trust and genuine care.

“As a captain, his communication was exceptional. Sanju Samson spoke about it too after he was left out of the T20 World Cup final in Barbados. Even though Sanju wasn’t playing, Rohit made sure he spoke to him before the toss because he was concerned about how he was feeling. Those difficult phases were a little easier because Rohit Sharma was around,” he added. 

Rohit is set to feature for India in the three-match ODI series in England. He was last in action in the series against Afghanistan, scoring 143 runs in three games at a strike rate of 115.32, with a highest score of 79.