Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel on October 5, Kaif recalled meeting Rohit during the IPL at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai, near the Wankhede Stadium, where the Mumbai Indians were staying. He described how Rohit and his teammates would spend late nights planning and discussing strategies.
“We met them there many times, and whenever I met Rohit Sharma, he only talked about cricket. Even at night, around 11:30 or 12, after coming from practice at Wankhede, he would start planning, thinking about who to play tomorrow, what the team combination could be, talking to players, explaining things to them,” Kaif said.
Kaif emphasized that Rohit is a leader both on and off the field, sacrificing personal and family time for the team.
“It means he is a captain even off the field. At night, his family is there, his wife and daughter are with him, but he sacrifices his family time for the team. He is not just a captain on the field; he is a captain all the time. His captaincy is not limited to the field. He has devoted his heart and soul to the country,” Kaif added.
Kaif noted that Rohit’s players consistently praise his guidance and support:
“Whenever you meet any player, they always say, ‘Rohit bhai helped me a lot,’ ‘Rohit bhai is a great leader, Rohit bhai supported me a lot.’ For him, there is no fixed time for being captain. His routine is spending time with his players. That is why people miss him.”
Under Rohit’s leadership, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, cementing his status as one of the team’s most successful leaders.
Kaif also commented on the impact of Rohit’s recent removal as ODI captain:
“When you take away a captaincy, in my view, it is like cutting off your right hand. Rohit Sharma the opener, Rohit Sharma the leader. I feel that by removing the captaincy, he lost his right hand.”
As India’s ODI captain, Rohit led the team in 56 matches, winning 42, with a win percentage of 75%, and scored 2,506 runs at an average of 52.20, including five centuries and 17 fifties.
