'Maar khayega to khud sikhega' - Harbhajan Singh reveals unheard story involving MS Dhoni, Shardul Thakur

Former India skipper MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the greatest skippers to lead team India. From 2007 to 2013, Dhoni led India to title victories in 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy. After Dhoni gave up his captaincy, Virat Kohli took the charge, which was followed by Rohit Sharma.

Rohit led India to the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023 and led the side to glory in the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados. Both Dhoni and Rohit have established themselves as two great captains, however, comparisons are always rampant.

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has said that the captaincy styles of Dhoni and Rohit are completely different. Speaking of Dhoni, Harbhajan recalled an incident when Shardul Thakur was getting hit with the same shot by Kane Williamson, but Dhoni let him learn from his mistakes.

"I remember a game where I was fielding at the short fine leg and MS Dhoni was keeping. Shardul Thakur was bowling, and the first ball, Kane Williamson, hit him down the ground for a boundary. Next ball, same length, and Williamson played the same shot. I went to MS and asked him to tell Shardul to try and bowl differently. MS said to me, ‘Paji If I tell him now, then he will never learn. Let him learn by himself.' His thought process was maar khayega to khud sikhega ( he will leran if he gets hit). Just like a kid grows up,” Harbhajan said on the podcast," Find a Way with Taruwar Kohli."

Furthermore, Harbhajan talked about Rohit and opined that he is the kind of captain who talks to his players on the field constantly, telling them what he expects from them. "Rohit is very different. He will go and talk to each player. He is someone who will put his arm around your shoulder and tell you what he expects from you. He will give you that confidence that yes you can do it," said Harbhajan.