‘Rohit Sharma didn’t practice as hard as Sachin Tendulkar’: Former MI coach's astonishing revelation on IND skipper
Jonty Rhodes recalled his early memories of working with Rohit in the IPL and asserted that he did not practise as hard as the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Rohit Sharma has been a force to reckon with in the past few years and has turned into one of the best in business. The star batter started his career as a middle-order batter, but he flourished when former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave him the chance to open the innings in 2013. With over 8000 ODI runs, Rohit has now ranked as one of the greatest openers in Indian cricket history.
He also achieved great success in the IPL, both as a skipper and a batter, with 5 titles leading Mumbai Indians and over 6,500 runs in the tournament.
Former Mumbai Indians coach Jonty Rhodes recalled his early memories of working with Rohit in the IPL and asserted that he did not practise as hard as the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in the nets and didn't have the best techniques.
“I mean he hasn’t changed at all. It’s so ridiculous. I just picture his walk when he came out to bat and he would have a few throw-downs in the nets or even shadow-hitting, it was just majestic. He didn’t practice as hard as Sachin Tendulkar. That’s for sure. Maybe he practices away from the nets at times but just his technical ability and I think he doesn’t have the best technique,” Rhodes commented in a YouTube podcast titled Aleena Dissects.
Rohit led the Indian team to the 2024 T20 World Cup trophy, ending the ICC title drought. His breathtaking starts in the powerplay made an impact, setting the platform for the side throughout the tournament.
‘Rohit Sharma stayed the same, true to himself’
Rhodes talked about what has worked for Rohit - the batter without the best foot movement, but he still remained the same and banked on his strengths to achieve massive success.
“He’s being criticised for not having a lot of foot movement, but because he is so relaxed at the crease and those hands flow well. It’s been great to see him because he stayed the same, true to himself and I think that’s so important,” he added.
The Indian skipper will return to the action in the first Test match against Bangladesh September 19 at Chepauk, Chennai. Bangladesh will look to build on their recent historic Test success in Pakistan. Recently, for the first time, Bangladesh tasted the sweet flavour of victory against Pakistan in Test cricket. Najmul Shanto's side completed a 2-0 whitewash over Pakistan in Rawalpindi.