New Delhi, March 13 South Africa batting great AB de Villiers hailed Rohit Sharma's record as a batter and captain after the India skipper lifted the ICC Champions Trophy and put an end to a lot of chatter about his retirement from the ODI format.
India registered a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the summit clash to lift their third Champions Trophy title. With the recent accolade, Rohit became the second most successful Indian captain in terms of ICC titles.
Under Rohit's captaincy, India lifted their second ICC silverware in less than nine months after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup title by beating South Africa in the final in Bridgetown, ending a more-than-decade-long ICC title drought stretching to the Champions Trophy win under Dhoni's leadership in 2013.
"Compared to other captains, look at Rohit’s win percentage, it’s almost 74%, which is substantially more than any other captain of the past. If he keeps going, he will go down as one of the best ODI captains of all time. Rohit has also said he is not retiring and has requested that rumours be stopped spreading," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
The rumours were making the rounds of Rohit retiring from ODIs just the way he called it quits from the T20I format after winning the World Cup in Barbados last year. But the skipper, who top-scored with 76 to take the Player of the Final award, quashed all those talks after winning the Champions Trophy.
“Why would he retire? With that kind of record, not only as captain but also as a batter. That 76 in the final, giving India a fantastic start, laying the foundation for success, and leading from the front when the pressure was at its peak. Rohit Sharma has got no reason to retire. No reason to take any criticism whatsoever. His record speaks for himself. Not only that, but he has also sort of transformed his game," de Villiers remarked.
"If we have a look at his strike rate in the powerplay, it was quite low for an opening batter in the powerplay, but since 2022 his strike rate has rose to 115 in the first powerplay and that’s the difference between good and great. It’s transforming your own game and it never stops. You have always something to learn and something to do better,” he added.
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