'Rohit yaaro ka yaar hai' - Praveen Kumar heaps praise on Rohit Sharma's friendship

Rohit Sharma's influential and charismatic leadership played a pivotal role in Team India's series triumph over England. Ahead of the 5th Test in the ongoing 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship, former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar unveiled the camaraderie and respect Rohit commands among his teammates, and dubbed him 'yaaro ka yaar' (friend of friends). Kumar's revelation shed light on Sharma's skill in nurturing loyalty among the squad, elevating him from a mere skipper to a trusted companion during matches.

Following his stellar T20I comeback in the third and final match of the series during Afghanistan's tour of India in which he battered the opposition bowlers to amass 121* off 69, the seasoned Indian opener has been named the skipper of the Men In Blue for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2024. Stepping into the shoes of batting maestro Virat Kohli, Rohit took charge after India's lacklustre performance at the T20 World Cup 2021. Under the guidance of coach Rahul Dravid, Sharma led the team to the semi-finals in the same tournament in Australia in 2022, marking a significant transition in leadership. 

The former India pacer was effusive in his praise for his old friend and teammate Rohit during a recent conversation.

“Rohit is a fantastic skipper. He is leading the side really well. Sourav Ganguly was the one who built the team. He created the team with a mix of youngsters and experienced players. Rohit is 'yaaro ka yaar' (friend of friends). He scolds the players when they make mistakes and hugs them too. He guides them and gives them all liberty on the field,” Praveen was saying, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Rohit Sharma eyes ICC silverware with IPL captaincy burden off his shoulders

After India's mortifying exit from the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2021, Rohit steered the Indian team to two ICC finals against Australia. The ICC World Test Championship (WTC) saw India clash with Pat Cummins' squad at the Oval. Five months later, Sharma's men faced Australia again, led by Cummins, in the ICC 50-over World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Confirmed to lead India in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rohit will aim to break India's ICC trophy drought this June in the West Indies and the USA.

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Ahead of the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the 36-year-old will assume the role of a dedicated batter for the Mumbai Indians (MI). All-rounder Hardik Pandya has taken over the captaincy reins for MI in the upcoming campaign. Rohit, who was instrumental in MI's five IPL title victories in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, stepped back from leadership duties to focus solely on his batting.