IPL 2018: 5 players who captained IPL teams before their national sides

#3 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma (left) led Mumbai Indians for 5 seasons before standing in as India's ODI and T20 skipper

Many would have earlier felt that Rohit Sharma would break many Indian batting records after his breakthrough debut season in 2007-08. He was considered to be a batting talent who was elegant yet lazy who was using up someone else’s place in the Indian team, more than using his skill. As he struggled initially to retain his spot in the playing XI, he was growing leaps and bounds in the IPL.

So much so that during the 2013 season, he replaced someone of Ricky Ponting’s calibre as captain of the Mumbai Indians side after the first six games itself. It seemed to be more of an SOS than a calculated move at first. For all his inexperience in leadership though, Rohit led Mumbai admirably well to their first-ever IPL title that season itself. Since then, there was no looking back as he established himself as a dangerous white-ball batter for whichever team he played.

The leadership lessons he learnt in Mumbai, thinking on his own as well as working with the likes of Ponting, Tendulkar and Kumble, seemed to give him more momentum. With MS Dhoni’s support in the Indian set-up, Rohit quickly ascended to the vice-captaincy position in ODIs and T20Is. Even if he can’t get to lead India full-time just as yet due to Kohli’s success, he has stepped in if he is injured or rested.

He captained India for the first time in a 3-match ODI and T20I series at home against Sri Lanka in late 2017, with the hosts winning both of them.