KL Rahul vs Rohit Sharma: 3 ways their captaincy styles are different 

Team India have had multiple captains across formats over the last few months.

Rohit Sharma was confirmed as the all-format leader by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in February this year when he was named Test skipper. However, owing to injury issues and rest, he has been unavailable to lead the team in a number of series.

Shikhar Dhawan is currently captaining the ODI team against the West Indies, while Rishabh Pant was in charge for the recent T20Is at home versus South Africa.

In England, Jasprit Bumrah led in the rescheduled Test before Rohit returned for the white-ball games. At the start of the year, KL Rahul led in one of the three Tests in South Africa when Virat Kohli was injured while he also captained the subsequent three-match ODI series.

Both Rohit (Mumbai Indians) and Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants) lead their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. Further, Rahul is seen as one of the contenders to take over the Indian leadership role from Rohit, who is already 35.

Using three key parameters in this feature, we analyze how the duo vary in their captaincy styles.

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#1 Tactical acumen

Rohit Sharma celebrates a wicket with teammates in England. Pic: Getty Images

If we talk about the tactical aspect, Rohit is miles ahead of Rahul. From a young age, he has shown natural flair when it comes to the ability to make key decisions in the field.

Rohit has been captaining the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL since 2013 and has transformed them into the most successful franchise in the tournament. Of course, the last two seasons have been hugely disappointing.

Speaking of Rohit’s captaincy, though, he seems to have a very good idea regarding match-ups, which bowler to bring in at a particular point and what kind of field to set to a certain batter.

It is no coincidence that wickets are often seen falling after Rohit has a conversation with the bowler. The same was observed a couple of times during the white-ball series in England as well. No wonder Team India and the Mumbai Indians have such a fantastic record under Rohit’s leadership.

Rahul, meanwhile, is not as experienced when it comes to captaincy. But from what has been on show thus far, it is clear that he has a long way to go as far as his calculative skills are concerned.

Both in the IPL as well as in the few games that he has led for India, the 30-year-old has been found out more than once. This is one area of his leadership in which the Karnataka batter will have to show significant improvement.

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#2 Calmness under pressure

Rohit Sharma (L) and KL Rahul during a Test match. Pic: Getty Images

Another domain where Rohit has a clear edge over Rahul. Of course, it has a lot to do with experience as well. But even if we carry out a basic comparison between the two as leaders, Rahul looks a lot more edgy and fidgety when his team is under the pump.

Rohit, in contrast, seems to enjoy the pressure situation as a leader, which brings out the best in him. MS Dhoni may have been termed as India’s “Captain Cool”, but the current skipper can also fit into the same category. A number of cricketers who have played under him, both in the IPL and for India, have proclaimed their respect for Rohit the leader. He has been praised for giving them space and allowing them to flourish.

Rahul has only led India in a handful of matches. However, he captained the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in two IPL seasons and also led the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in this year’s edition.

From what has been observed so far, he appears to be more of an aloof captain who struggles a bit when it comes to taking important decisions under pressure. This is perhaps one of the reasons why he is yet to lead any franchise to IPL glory.

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#3 Leading from the front

Rohit Sharma (left) and KL Rahul during the IPL. Pic: IPLT20.COM

Rahul has a slight edge here, especially when it comes to IPL performances. He has scored over 600 runs in each of the last three seasons. Rohit, by contrast, has not scored more than 500 runs in an edition since MI’s inaugural triumph in 2013. The closest he came was when he notched up 489 runs in 2016.

Even in international cricket, ever since taking over as all-format captain, he has struggled for consistency and big scores. There have been a few starts, with him looking rather fluent at times. However, barring a half-century in the first ODI in England, he has been consistently disappointing. This is one area of his captaincy that will come into focus when India lose a few games.

Rahul has not led in enough matches for India for us to arrive at a conclusion over how good he can be with the bat while also captaining in international cricket. But the responsibility has pushed him to deliver with the willow in a massive manner in the IPL.

If there is one criticism of Rahul, the batter-captain, though, it is the fact that he gets overly responsible at times with the bat, which ends up having an unintended detrimental effect on the team. If he can work on this aspect, Rahul can certainly be a match-winner with the willow whilst also leading the team.

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