The former Pakistan captain didn’t mince his words as he talked about Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni following the IPL 2023 final.
The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings lifted the 2023 Indian Premier League title on Monday night, as they defeated the Gujarat Titans. The CSK won a record-equalling fifth IPL title, going level with Mumbai Indians – who won all of their five trophies under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. Both, Dhoni and Rohit are justifiably considered the leading captains in the tournament’s history but former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt made a rather interesting remark when asked to compare the two.
During a YouTube live session, a fan asked Butt to compare the two on the basis of their fitness, and the former Pakistan captain almost passed a chuckle before claiming there’s a “world of difference” in fitness between Dhoni and Rohit; while he didn’t talk about the CSK skipper, Butt bashed the Team India captain for not maintain the high levels of fitness.
Also read: ‘I couldn’t sleep. Sochta raha kya alag…’: Mohit Sharma opens up on heartbreaking last over vs CSK
“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 aspefcts, 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 them yourself. You should be top of the line,” Butt said.
“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.
At 41, Dhoni has largely resorted himself to the role of a late finisher in the batting order, as he usually arrived at the crease with two or less overs remaining in the innings. Behind the wickets, however, Dhoni remained lightning-quick as ever; the proof of which was seen in the IPL final earlier this week, when it took him merely 0.1 seconds to stump Shubman Gill out.