Robin Singh heaps praise on Rohit's leadership qualities

Dubai - In Kohli's absence, Sharma has led India into the Asia Cup final

Watching Rohit Sharma bat is akin to seeing a white Rolls-Royce on the road. Just like the Rolls-Royce, Rohit can hit top speed in the blink of an eye without ever losing his poise.

Rohit's mastery over white-ball cricket has already earned him a place in the pantheon of ODI greats, but a certain Sunil Gavaskar has been even more impressed with the Mumbai batsman's leadership skills in the Asia Cup.

Despite Virat Kohli's absence, India have stormed into the Asia Cup final.

While the top order batsmen and bowlers have covered themselves in glory, Gavaskar couldn't stop admiring the maturity Rohit has shown as a leader.

The legendary Indian batsman even compared Rohit to iconic West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.

And Robin Singh, the former India all-rounder who coached Rohit in Mumbai Indians, also believes Rohit has what it takes to replace Kohli as captain in white-ball cricket "if there is an opportunity" in future.

"He can really do the job. He has been the vice-captain for a while now. He has shown what he can do. He has led the team well," Singh told Khaleej Times during an exclusive interview.

"In fact, he has been a very successful captain in IPL. That's the big thing. I saw the game against Pakistan here. He led really well," said Singh who will coach Northern Warriors in the second season of the T10 League.

"It's important when you play in the national team, you have to get people to rally around you. He is someone who is a performer which is a big plus as a captain. And he is quite calm. That's really important when you lead a side. So I think he has the right mix to take over in case there is an opportunity to take over."

Singh also believes Rohit needs to be backed more as a batsman in Test cricket - a format in which the gifted stroke-maker's struggles have baffled his admirers.

"I think he has had his moments in Test cricket. He is at the phase of his cricket where he is batting really well. He knows exactly what to do. And it is probably the right moment to allow him to play for long periods," said Singh.

Ian Chappell recently said India should take Rohit to Australia for the Test series later this year. The former Australian captain felt Rohit's talent to play the horizontal bat shots could inspire the Indian middle-order on bouncy wickets.

And Robin Singh said India actually missed a trick by not playing Rohit in the England Test series.

"I was disappointed that he didn't play in England. It would have been a defining moment in his career if he had played in that series," Singh said.

"When you have someone so talented, you would actually want to give him that opportunity. I think we have missed a trick there. I think he is one of the few guys who could have taken the game away from England," he added.

"To me you don't give away match winners. When you have match winners, you need to persist with them.

"I mean it's like having (Jasprit) Bumrah today in the Test format. He has got better and better. I have seen his growth.

"Rohit should also be in the Test team. A talented cricketer like him will adapt to any format."

rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

• Asia Cup 2019