The first of the four Tests to be played In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series, 2023, is underway. At lunch, the visitors were sitting at 76 for the loss of two wickets. During the first Test, former India head coach Ravi Shastri who was present in the stadium as a commentator and presenter made a bold statement that made it to the headlines. The 60-year-old remarked that Rohit Sharma's style of captaincy is very similar to MS Dhoni's cool and calm approach.
"Rohit Sharma is similar to Dhoni as a captain, very calm & composed," Shastri said. Notably, Sharma is captaining the Indian side in the first Test of the BGT series at Nagpur, where the hosts got off to a flying start.
Australia were 76/2 at lunch at Nagpur
Mohammed Siraj dismissed Usman Khawaja with his first delivery in the second over, while Mohammed Shami showed David Warner the way to the pavilion in the next. Since the two openers got out, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have built a steady partnership to get the visitors to 76 at lunch.
It is no surprise that Shastri's bold claim has sparked reactions from fans on Twitter. Some fans prefer an aggressive style of captaincy like Virat Kohli, while some seem to acknowledge Rohit Sharma as a better captain than the star Indian batter. Kohli, who is well and truly back in form, is looking for a spectacular return to the game's longest format. His last Test hundred was back in 2019.
Many fans on Twitter seem to agree that Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are both calm and composed personalities on the field. Shastri, interestingly, has been in close affinity with both players during his stint as the head coach of India. As such, his statement may actually hold some validity. However, Trolls were quick to react as well.
Here are some of the top tweets:
Ravi Shastri said "Rohit Sharma is similar to Inzamam as a captain, very fat & composed".
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddaI_vohre) February 9, 2023
Meanwhile Rohit : https://t.co/MoiHFboyXC
— N Y C T O P H I L E 💛 (@pranavvishu) February 9, 2023
Fir chadha li subeh subeh pic.twitter.com/bgiUfLcY6Q
— DV 🏏🇮🇳 (@deepakv712) February 9, 2023
King
— 🤞VISHAL🤞 (@visala_josi) February 9, 2023
WATCH Till The End 😍🥰😍 pic.twitter.com/EzdInoGQMK
— Jod Insane (@jod_insane) February 9, 2023
Still can't match Kohli legacy
— Lordgod🚩 (@LordGod188) February 9, 2023
Drunken mode activated
— :(( (@typetxts) February 9, 2023
— VKB (@PorkisABBUJAAN) February 9, 2023
But we want aggressive captain like kohli in test maaro dono ke haat per pe ball
— Rahul Kashyap🇮🇳 (@chwjqkqmqlmamjk) February 9, 2023
Calm and composed pic.twitter.com/foNDSJIm7r
— Karthi (@Karthitweetss) February 9, 2023