Ranchi (Jharkhand): Keshav Ranjan Banerjee, the childhood coach of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has said that India skipper Rohit Sharma is very mature but his captaincy style cannot be compared with the legendary MS Dhoni.
India under the charismatic Mahendra Singh won three ICC Trophies - the inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa, the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions 2013 hosted by England in 2013.
Keshav Ranjan Banerjee said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni had the ability to lead the team, which was rarely seen in any (other) Indian cricketer. "Dhoni used to sense the next step of every player by staying behind the wicket. Then he would give signals and ask the bowler to bowl accordingly. Rohit Sharma is also very mature but his captainship ability cannot be compared with (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni," Keshav Ranjan Banerjee told ETV Bharat in an exclusive interview.
Keshav Ranjan Banerjee said that this time the Indian team is very accurate but the presence of left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who has been ruled out due to an injury, will be missed.
According to him, Aksar Patel had the ability to bat well. "The BCCI should have kept these things in mind that selected players should not get injured on such occasions," he quipped.
He expressed happiness that wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan, who plays for Jharkhand in the domestic circuit and can strengthen the batting order, has been included in the Indian squad.
He also expressed his views about batters including skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul. When he was asked which two teams are likely to compete in the final at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, he replied: "India and England".
He also said that playing at home is beneficial in many ways but it also creates pressure on the players. "Rohit Sharma will have to deal with this (pressure). India won the World Cup under the leadership of Kapil Dev in 1983 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011. Once again, a golden opportunity has come (to lift the Trophy)," he added.
Regarding five-time champions Australia, he said that this team is often not able to do anything special in India. Therefore, according to him, there is a strong possibility of a clash between India and England in the final. He has expressed hope that India can win the World Cup title for the third time.
