There is no doubt that MS Dhoni is one of the greatest leaders in the history of cricket. In addition to his wicket-keeping prowess and finishing heroics, Dhoni has been exceptional with his mastermind which has won three major international trophies for India. It is a fact that apart from Dhoni and Kapil Dev, no other Indian captain has been able to taste success in major tournaments.
When the ODI World Cup returned to India after 12 years, everyone believed in a repeat of the 2011 triumph where Dhoni and Co. lifted the coveted title for the second title. The Rohit Sharma-led side had a promising campaign till the semifinal, but when it mattered the most, Australia emerged victorious.
Although Rohit failed to end India's drought of winning a major international trophy, his captaincy has been much appreciated. Rohit, who gave an aggressive start at the top in almost every match, finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer. Meanwhile, veteran India spinner Ravichandran analysed Rohit as a captain and pointed out how he is different from Dhoni.
"If you take a look at Indian cricket, everybody will be telling you that MS Dhoni is the best captain. (But), Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person, (and) he understands every single player in the team. He knows the likes and dislikes of each of us and has a great understanding. He puts in the effort to know each player personally," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Rohit and Virat were crying: Ashwin shares dressing room scenes after India's World Cup final defeat
India were the first team to qualify for the semi-finals after finishing the league stage at the top of the points table with an unbeaten run. However, a Travis Head brilliance in the final shattered the expectations of billions of Indians. Pictures and videos of Indian players including Rohit, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj crying went viral on social media. Ashwin later revealed that Kohli and Rohit were crying inside the dressing room.
"Yes, we felt the pain. Rohit and Virat were crying. Seeing that, it felt bad. Anyway, it was not meant to be. This team was an experienced one. Everybody knew what to do. And then, it was professional. Everybody knew their routines and warm-ups," the 37-year-old said.