Suresh Raina compared Rohit Sharma to Mahendra Singh Dhoni after India defeated England in the fourth Test to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, that too at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.
In an interview, Raina said that Rohit is the next Dhoni, in terms of giving chances to youngsters in the team.
“He (Rohit Sharma) is the next MS Dhoni. He has done well. He has been giving a lot of chances to youngsters the way MS Dhoni did. I played a lot of cricket under MS Dhoni. Sourav Ganguly supported his team a lot. Then MS Dhoni came and led from the front. Rohit is going in the right direction. He is a brilliant captain,” Raina was quoted as saying by TOI.
MSD is arguably India’s greatest captain as under his leadership, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup and a Champions Trophy as well as reaching the top of ICC Test rankings for the first time.
India, under Rohit’s captaincy, won their 17th consecutive series triumph in their own backyard. The team’s last home series loss was a 1-2 defeat to an Alastair Cook-led England in 2012-13. Since then, India has won 39 out of 50 Tests at home.
With the win in Ranchi, India also consolidated their second spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings. India’s point-percentage jumped from 59.52 to 64.58 following the hard-fought win and they further extended the gap with Australia (55%) and Bangladesh (50%), third third and fourth-placed teams, respectively.
Rohit and Dhoni, apart from being successful India captains, have led their respective Indian Premier League franchises – Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings – to glory.
When Raina, who has played under Dhoni for CSK, was asked about Thala’s retirement plans, ‘Chinna Thala’ said: “I have no idea about this. But he is working really hard. He is looking really fit. This is up to him. He will be in a yellow jersey and entertain the fans. Fans just love him. He will do really well I am sure. He has given a lot to cricket.”
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