He's A Wonderful Captain: Waqar Younis Hails Rohit Sharma's Leadership During India's Asia Cup Title Defence

Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has hailed Rohit Sharma's leadership during India's successful Asia Cup title defence in the United Arab Emirates last week.

In absence of regular captain and team's batting mainstay Virat Kohli, Rohit led India to a record-extending seventh title with a thrilling three-wicket win over Bangladesh at Dubai.

“See, Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. You cannot really challenge that. But I think even without him this Indian team has really done well in the Asia Cup,” said Younis said in an interview with Khaleej Times.

Rohit himself batted really well, scoring 317 runs, which is 25 less than top scorer and opening partner Shikhar Dhawan's 342.

“Virat makes a massive difference at number three. But without Virat in the tournament, I think Rohit has done a wonderful job. He is very calm. His captaincy is growing every day. I have seen him do the captaincy in IPL as well. He is very calm. He likes to allow people to make their own decisions. He allows people to make their moves. He is a wonderful captain,” the former Pakistan captain added.

With both the openers giving laying the foundation in almost every match, India's struggling middle-order was never really exposed, save the final. The 46-year-old stated that fact and hailed Indian openers.

“Look India is a very professional outfit when it comes to playing in this part of the world. Playing on these pitches is very much like playing in India. They have got a world class openers. And it is very difficult when you have someone like Rohit (Sharma) and Shikhar (Dhawan) opening the innings and they are giving you a good partnership almost every time,” said Younis.

He also credited the Indian Premier League for helping talented but poor cricketers realise their dreams.

“I am not surprised because India is a big country. I always feel that there is always talent around the country. Also, cricket has expanded a bit more. It has reached a lot of different parts of the country now. And fast bowlers, you know, they are not from the rich families. They are from very poor families. These guys really work hard to get up there and IPL also has made a massive difference. You know there are platforms now which make a big difference, especially the IPL platform," he said.

In an illustrious career, Younis played 87 Tests and 262 ODIs, taking 373 and 416 wickets respectively.

He played four Test against India, taking eight wickets. In ODIs, he took 37 wickets in 26 matches with one five-wicket haul.