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Virender Sehwag goes against common wisdom to put MS Dhoni ahead of Rohit Sharma; Stats suggest otherwise
Rohit Sharma concludes his ODI captaincy with a remarkable 75% win rate, leaving a legacy of success for Shubman Gill as he prepares to lead India.
India’s ODI captaincy handover to Shubman Gill is a relay, a plan for the future, and not a rupture. Rohit Sharma descends from the role with silverware, a towering win record, and crucially, the dressing room behind him. As Gill gets ready to lead India in Australia, the former captain’s methods still frame the 50-over roadmap to 2027.
The plaudits arriving with the transition are loud and specific, and the numbers beneath them are even louder. Rohit Sharma led India in 56 ODI matches with 42 wins, the best by any Indian captain with 50-plus matches, and second only to Clive Lloyd by win percentage with the same qualification bar. Speaking of only ODIs, he has taken the team to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and has won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. When it comes to T20Is, he has won the 2024 T20 World Cup as a captain.
The testimonials for Rohit Sharma, the Captain
Former Indian opener, Virender Sehwag, while speaking to Cricbuzz, said about Rohit Sharma, “People underestimate him regarding his captaincy, but after these two trophies, perhaps he becomes the second-best captain after MS Dhoni. He thinks less about himself, thinks about his team, about his teammates, and makes them comfortable. He understands that if a player has insecurity, his performance does not come through, so that is why he does not give anyone insecurity, takes everyone in the team along with him.”
Another former Indian star, Zaheer Khan, drew attention to the trophy-winning ability of Sharma. Khan mentioned, “Winning trophies is a kind of drive, and his experience in this matter is quite extensive, so somewhere that drive is visible in him. Whenever playing multi-national tournaments or franchise cricket tournaments, you can see what needs to be done, how to communicate, how to prepare - all these things absolutely reflect in his behaviour. And with intensity, that casual approach too, I think works very well for him.”
Former Indian spinner turned commentator, Murali Kartik, distilled it to the captain’s primary mandate: consent of the room. He said, “He (Rohit Sharma) doesn’t lose the dressing room.... The players naturally gravitate towards Rohit Sharma because he talks about giving them chances, celebrates their efforts in press conferences and post-match, and has lived that belief consistently.”
The stats justify the sentiments of these former Indian stars. Rohit’s CV as an ODI captain reads 56 matches, 42 wins, 12 losses, 1 tie, 1 NR - a 75% win rate. Among captains with 50-plus ODIs, only Clive Lloyd (76.2%) sits higher globally. Rohit’s performance surpasses Virat Kohli (68.4%) and MS Dhoni (55%), making him India’s most successful ODI skipper in terms of win percentage.
Shubman Gill takes over the team at 26, with a seasoned sounding board still in the XI. If succession planning is about protecting strengths while expanding horizons then India have just chosen continuity with curiosity. A young captain will be learning on the job, while his predecessor’s blueprint remains impossible to ignore.
