“Can Mumbai Indians' success story be equated with India?” - When a former opener questioned if Rohit Sharma would have been successful as RCB captain

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra had once questioned whether Rohit Sharma would have been successful as captain of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

His question had come after current India head coach Gautam Gambhir had stated that it would have been the country's loss if Rohit was not made India's T20I captain, given his success as captain of the Mumbai Indians.

Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and is one of the most successful captains in the history of the league. However, Aakash Chopra, in response to Gambhir, had asked whether Rohit could have led the RCB team as successfully instead of a stronger Mumbai Indians team.

"But I have a question that if Rohit was given the RCB team, which is there with Kohli, will he have won two, three or four out of the five titles MI have won?" Chopra had asked in a video shared on his Facebook page in 2020.

He did agree that Rohit's captaincy in the IPL was exceptional. However, he had expressed that the captaincy of the national team cannot be given to a player only because of IPL success. He had also added that it was unfair to solely blame Virat Kohli for RCB's failure to win a title.

"Rohit as a captain is outstanding, I love him to bits but can the Mumbai Indians' success story be equated with India, that is my question. Just because Kohli's team does not do well, does it mean that is Kohli's fault," he had stated.

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Rohit Sharma led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title

Rohit Sharma eventually went on to take over as India's captain across formats. While he has now retired from T20Is, he is still the primary skipper in ODIs and Tests.

During his tenure as captain, he has had some memorable and bitter-sweet moments as well. Under his leadership, India made it to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup with an unbeaten tun. Unfortunately, they failed to clinch the title and lost the final.

However, the next year, Rohit Sharma ended India's wait for an ICC title since 2013. In 2024, the Men in Blue won the T20 World Cup, winning the tournament for the second time after winning the inaugural edition back in 2007. He ended his T20I career on a high, leading India to glory.