'Hit-Man' to 'Captain' Rohit Sharma: Mix of instincts and percentages, quietly mentoring heir apparent Rishabh Pant

Rohit Sharma has started his journey on a bright note. Eleven games across formats (6 T20Is, 3 ODIs and 2 Tests) isn't a big sample size to judge someone but big enough to be hopeful that the future would be good. As a leader so far, Rohit is not just a 'Run Machine' but is also showing himself to be tactically astute.

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The bigger gain for India has been the growth of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant in the longer format. Apart from the 185 runs that he piled up in the series, the 24-year-old also accounted for five catches and three sharp stumpings and was deservingly named man of the series.

At the same time he also seems to know quite well that one needs to have a back-up plan and groom the next set for the future. The difference between victor and vanquished in sport is about minor percentages and the foundation of Rohit's leadership style is based on that. "I always try to analyse an upcoming game situation based on the probability of it happening. I try to factor in percentages of a certain situation and the decision is based on what I feel is the maximum probability," the skipper said after winning his maiden Test series as captain, against Sri Lanka on Monday.

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Cricketers and pundits on Tuesday praised Rohit Sharma's "empathy" as captain after he led India to a fifth successive series victory since taking over from Virat Kohli.

Ranji Trophy, where most teams still play for first innings lead, isn't a good breeding ground for proactive captains, save some domestic stalwarts like Ashok Mankad or a Bishan Singh Bedi, who were very different. So, Rohit himself