'Virat Kohli has left a legacy of his own as ODI captain': Rohit Sharma

India’s limited-overs captain Rohit Sharma has lavished praise on former skipper Virat Kohli, saying he made India a fearless team. Rohit replaced Kohli as the ODI captain ahead of the team’s tour of South Africa.

Under Kohli, India achieved great success. He became the first Indian captain to win bilateral series in the SENA countries. However, there was one glaring glitch – not winning any global events. Kohli came close on two occasions but had to be satisfied with a runners-up finish in the 2017 Champions Cup, and a semifinal finish in the 2019 50-Over Cricket World Cup.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma comes with a tremendous amount of leadership experience. He has led Mumbai to five Indian T20 League trophies since taking leadership in 2013. He also ably stepped up as the captain for India in the limited-overs format when Kohli was unavailable. Now, Rohit has spoken about the legacy of his predecessor and what qualities he brought into the team.

"He's (Virat) put the team in a situation where there is no looking back. Those five years he has led the team, he led from the front every time we stepped onto the park. There was clear grit and determination to win every game. That was the message to the entire squad," said Rohit Sharma.

"We had a great time playing under him. I have played a lot of cricket with him, I have enjoyed each and every moment and I'll still continue to do that. We need to keep getting better as a team and as individuals and that will be the focus not just for me but for the entire squad moving forward," he added.

Rohit will make his full-time captaincy debut against South Africa. However, an untimely injury has put his participation in doubt. He has already been ruled out of the Test series and in all probability will miss the ODIs as well.