MS Dhoni must be credited for Rohit Sharma's success at international stage: Gautam Gambhir

Add as a preferred source on Google

New Delhi, May 3: Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has credited Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the rise of Rohit Sharma and claimed the former India captain backed the Mumbaikar to the core.

The 38-year-old Gambhir, now a BJP Member of Parliament, while talking to Sports Tak said, "Where Rohit is today, it is because of MS Dhoni. One good thing about MS was that he always kept Rohit in the talks, even if was not part of the team, he was always part of the group. He never let him get sidelined," Gambhir said.

Gambhir maintained that it's the backing of the captain that makes or breaks a player.

"You can talk about the selection committee and team management, but if you do not have the backing from your captain than it is all useless. Everything is in the hands of the captain. How MS Dhoni had backed Rohit Sharma over a period of time, I do not think any player has been given such support."

Rohit made his ODI debut for India in 2007, but it was only after Dhoni promoted him as an opener in 2013 that his career turned around. He said Kohli and Rohit should groom youngsters in the current team in the same way Dhoni groomed them.

"Rohit is the prime example of how a player's fortunes can turn around if he is nurtured by the seniors. I hope the young cricketers in the current generation, be it Shubman Gill or Sanju Samson, they also get similar kind of support. "And now when Rohit is a senior, I expect him to back youngsters."

The 33-year-old Rohit has scored 9115 runs from 224 ODIs at an average of 49.27 at a strike rate of 88.92. He has 29 tons and 43 fifties to his name.

In T20Is, Rohit has scored 2273 runs from 108 matches at an average of 32.62 and a strike rate of 138.78.