Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag hailed Rohit Sharma’s captaincy after Men in Blue lifted the Champions Trophy title. Rohit Sharma’s team defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the final of the tournament in Dubai on Sunday.

Sehwag lauded Rohit for having clear communication with his players while picking the final XI. Varun Chakravarthy was added to the final squad in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal.

While Harshit Rana played ahead of Arshdeep Singh in the first two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan, Chakravarthy was added to the team’s playing XI in place of Rana for the last three games. The mystery spinner was able to grab his chance with both hands, bagging nine wickets at an average of 15.17.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag said, “We underrate his captaincy, but after these two trophies, he became the second (Indian) captain after MS Dhoni to win multiple ICC titles. The way the captain has used his bowlers, the way he has handled the team, the way he has guided the team, and whatever communication he does, he does it very clearly. That’s why Rohit Sharma is a better captain.”

“Whether it’s playing Harshit Rana first ahead of Arshdeep Singh or then bringing in Varun Chakravarty in place of Harshit Rana, he has done good communication with his players, and that was important.”

Sehwag added that Rohit Sharma thinks less about himself and more about his team and teammates.

“He thinks less about himself, more about his team, his teammates. He makes them comfortable. He realizes that if a player has insecurity, then his performance will not come. That’s why he doesn’t let anyone feel insecure in that team. He takes everyone with him. This is the need for a better captain and leader. And Rohit Sharma is doing it very well,” said Sehwag.

Rohit scored a crucial knock of 76 runs off 83 balls in the summit clash against the Kiwis in the run-chase of 252. The veteran will be seen in action for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025.