Gavaskar hails Rohit, says Mumbai Indians' captaincy has transformed him

Impressed with Rohit Sharma's 'incredible knock' at The Oval, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes Sharma taking charge of IPL franchise Mumbai Indians has helped the opener become the player that he is at the moment.

Rohit's wait for his maiden overseas Test century ended on Day 3 in the fourth Test on Saturday, when he scored his eighth ton (127) to put India in command against England.

The Virat Kohli-led side ended the day on 270/3, a lead of 171 runs, and with seven wickets in hand, found themselves in a strong position.

Rohit's innings was lauded by Gavaskar. He said, "Mumbai Indians captaincy has transformed Rohit Sharma into the player that he is."

Ricky Ponting had handed Mumbai Indians' captaincy to Rohit in 2013 after the Australian stepped down as the skipper mid-way through the edition. Rohit, the most successful captain of the IPL, has led the Mumbai-based outfit to five titles.

Gavaskar further said the innings had all the ingredients of how a Test match innings must be built.


"Incredible knock. Very, very impressive, for the simple reason that the way he was covering the swing when the ball was new. Not just here, but even in the earlier matches. The way he was playing very late, the way he had the bat and pad close to each other… not pushing at deliveries," the former India skipper was quoted as saying by Sony Sports Network.

"Once he settled down, then all the shots began to flow. But then the most impressive thing is the straightness of his bat, when he's defending. Then of course the use of his feet to get to his Test century," he said. -IANS