RCB’s Harshal Patel, the leading wicket-taker of the Indian Premier League 2021, is set to play for India in the T20I series against West Indies under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
Having made his international debut under Sharma’s captaincy during the New Zealand T20I series in November 2021, Patel was all praises for the new Indian captain. The bowling all-rounder shared his experience of playing under Rohit and how he operates as a skipper.
Sharma was appointed as the captain of Indian limited overs side after Virat Kohli stepped down from the role post T20 World Cup 2022. Sharma began his captaincy reign with a thumping 3-0 series victory over WC finalists New Zealand in the T20I series.
Harshal was impressive with the ball as he returned the figures of 2/25 and 2/26 in two matches against the Kiwis. He has kept his place for the upcoming T20 series against the Windies.
The IPL 2021 purple cap-winning bowler while speaking on the Star Sports show Follow The Blues, said Rohit gives you full freedom and has faith in bowlers.
“He will basically give you the ball and if he has confidence in you, he will not tell you about what to do. ‘You know what to do, just go and do it’. So, he is that kind of a captain and I really enjoy playing under those kinds of captains,”
stated the 31-year-old.
“I have my plans- Plan A, B, C so even when I get hit, I know what to do. I don’t like a lot of outside input and he fits exactly into that kind of personality as a captain. He is very relaxed and he gives you the freedom”,
he added.
After T20Is, Rohit was also appointed as the ODI captain of the Indian side and is the front-runner for the Test captaincy as well. Sharma, who has won five Premier League titles as a captain with Mumbai Indians, has always been highly rated, especially for his player management abilities.
India are entering a new era under his leadership, and the next assignment is the West Indies series, which will kick off on February 6.