There Was No Hesitation From Rohit Sharma: Anil Kumble Reveals Inside Story Behind MI Naming Him As Captain

there was no hesitation from rohit sharma: anil kumble reveals inside story behind naming him as mi’s captain

Rohit Sharma finished his IPL captaincy career as one of the most successful captains and he led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five IPL trophies. The Indian legend was named MI’s captain during IPL 2013. He was removed from captaincy before IPL 2024. Rohit became an IPL legend during his 11-year stint as MI’s captain and led MI to a total of six title wins (including one Champions League title).

Rohit’s rise to the top started when he replaced Ricky Ponting as MI’s captain. Ponting started the season as the captain but decided to step down after the franchise managed 3 wins from six matches.

The team management decided to hand over the job to Rohit. He ended MI’s title drought and they won their maiden IPL title that year. Recalling Rohit’s elevation to captaincy, Anil Kumble, the former chief mentor of MI, has revealed the inside story behind it.

Speaking to R Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Kumble revealed that there was no hesitation from Rohit and he was confident of leading the team.

“Ricky was kind of to step aside and that is when we decided that we will go for Rohit. What was very evident when John Wright and I walked into his room in Kolkata, we were playing KKR, he was extremely confident,” the former India captain revealed.

“There was no hesitation when we asked him if he was ready to captain, despite all these big names being a part of the team. That stood out. That is what you want. If there is no hesitation when you ask for the first time if you are ready to take the responsibility, that gives it all and Rohit was very clear that he was ready to take over.”

Sachin Tendulkar, who captained MI from IPL 2008 to 2011, was also part of the team in 2013. He retired from IPL after winning the title that year. Rohit-led MI won the 2013 Champions League with a win over Rajasthan Royals in the final.

MI continued their purple patch in IPL and won the titles in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Rohit’s success as MI’s captain saw him join the leadership group in international cricket.

He was removed as MI’s captain before IPL 2024. He now plays under Hardik Pandya. Interestingly, Pandya will be playing under Rohit in the 2024 T20 World Cup after IPL. Pandya will assist Rohit in the ICC event.