“Have never seen his character change, whether good or bad times” – Suryakumar Yadav backs under-fire Rohit Sharma

India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has put his weight behind under-fire Rohit Sharma. SKY said he has never seen Rohit’s character change, whether in good or bad times. 

India suffered a 0-3 Test series loss against New Zealand despite playing at home under Rohit’s captaincy. This is the first time when India has been whitewashed by 3-0 while playing at home and this was New Zealand’s first Test series win on Indian soil.

Rohit also admitted that he wasn’t at his best, both as a leader and a batter. The opener could only score 91 runs in three Test matches at an average of 15.17.

Speaking ahead of the opening T20I against South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav said, “In sports, wins and losses keep happening. Everybody works hard, everybody works hard to win. Sometimes, it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I have learnt this from him (Rohit) only – in life, being balanced is important. I have never seen his character change, whether good or bad times. I have seen him grow as a lot as a player and as a leader.”

“A leader wants to define how the team wants to play the format. A captain always wants to win, but a leader defines a style,” the 34-year-old added.

Rohit could only manage 42 runs in two Test matches against Bangladesh at an average of 10.50.

On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav said his leadership isn’t as aggressive as his batting. SKY said he tries to get the best out of his players by spending as much time as possible with his teammates.

“As a leader, my batting style is completely different. I can’t be as aggressive as a captain. But, yeah, you have to understand what’s happening around you, I have to understand what my players are thinking. Giving them a comfort zone is very important. Everybody has their skills. They also want to come out and express themselves,” the Indian T20I captain explained.

“Off the field, I try and spend a lot of time with them. I try and assess their strengths and see when they can come of use for the team in pressure and crunch situations. That’s how I am on the field. This format allows you to keep playing and learning. It’s so fast. By the time, you blink, this game is over. So freedom and clarity of thought are very important,” Suryakumar concluded.

The opening T20I between India and South Africa will be played at Kingsmead, Durban on Friday.