‘Rohit yaaro ka yaar hain’ – Praveen Kumar heaps praise on Rohit Sharma’s friendship

Praveen Kumar and Rohit Sharma (Photo Source: X/Twitter)

Rohit Sharma’s leadership has steered Team India to a triumphant series victory against England. Ahead of the 5th Test in the ongoing World Test Championship, former India pacer Praveen Kumar unveiled the camaraderie and respect Rohit commands among his teammates, and dubbed him ‘yaaro ka yaar‘ (friend of friends). Kumar’s revelation shed light on Sharma’s ability to foster loyalty within the squad, that has elevated him beyond just a skipper to a trusted comrade on the field.

Following his stellar T20I comeback during Afghanistan’s tour of India in the shortest format, the seasoned Indian opener has been named the skipper of the Men In Blue for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. Stepping into the shoes of batting maestro Virat Kohli, Rohit took charge after India’s lacklustre performance at the T20 World Cup 2021. Under the guidance of coach Rahul Dravid, Sharma led the team to the semi-finals in the similar tournament in Australia in 2023, marking a significant leadership transition.

The former India pacer was full of praise for his old friend and teammate Rohit during a recent chat.

“Rohit is a fantastic skipper. He is leading the side really well. Sourav Ganguly was the one who built the team. He created the team with a mix of youngsters and experienced players. Rohit is ‘yaaro ka yaar‘ (friend of friends). He scolds the players when they make mistakes and hugs them too. He guides them and gives them all liberty on the field,” Praveen was saying, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Rohit Sharma eyes ICC silverware with IPL captaincy burden off his shoulders

After India’s exit from the T20 World Cup semis in 2021, Sharma steered the Indian team to two ICC finals against Australia. The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) saw India clash with Pat Cummins’ squad at the Oval. Months later, Sharma’s men faced Australia again, led by Cummins, in the ICC 50-over World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Confirmed to lead India in the 2024 World Cup, Rohit will aim to break India’s ICC trophy drought this June in West Indies and USA.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma to lead India in T20 World Cup 2024, confirms Jay Shah

Ahead of the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the 36-year-old will assume the role of a dedicated batter for the Mumbai Indians (MI). All-rounder Hardik Pandya has taken over the captaincy reins for MI in the upcoming campaign. Rohit, who was instrumental in MI’s five IPL title victories in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, stepped back from leadership duties to focus solely on his batting.