World of difference between Dhoni and Rohit: Former Pak captain makes big statement on Indian captain

MS Dhoni won his ninth T20 title as captain when the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023 final in Ahmedabad in the early hours on Tuesday (May 30). After the win, Dhoni joined Rohit with as many as five IPL titles each as captain. Following IPL 2023 edition, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt compared Dhoni and Rohit and made a big statement on the current Indian captain's fitness.

'World of difference between MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma'

During a YouTube live session, a fan asked Butt to compare Dhoni and Rohit in terms of fitness and he said, “There's a world of difference between the two. Rohit Sharma has a big designation, he's the captain of India. He should be leading by example in all aspects, and fitness is a very important aspect. As a captain, when you are in a position to demand something from your teammates, you should have it yourself. You should be top of the line."

“When you look at Rohit Sharma, you realise that fitness is one aspect where he can be a lot better. It will improve his batting and confidence as well. But we are talking about it for a long time now. I don't know why he isn't fit enough. Maybe he knows the reason himself,” he further added.

While ardent cricket fans often compare the captaincy styles of Dhoni and Rohit, the former was always ahead of many in terms of fitness. Even at 41, the former Indian skipper pulled off the entire IPL 2023 edition despite nursing a knee injury. He blasted 104 runs in 57 balls, at over 180, and remained an asset behind the stumps. During his playing days for India, he was one of the fastest between wickets and remained so even after retirement but injury concerns forced him to go for the big shots and not rely on a lot of running while batting for CSK in the just-concluded edition.

Talking about Rohit, he has suffered various injuries in the recent past. However, he remains a safe fielder and runner between wickets. At present, he is gearing up to lead India in the forthcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final where the national side will face Australia at The Oval, London on June 07.