Former South Africa player Jonty Rhodes said India’s ODI skipper Shubman Gill must take advice from senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma while maintaining his true leadership style. Rhodes is backing the young India player to achieve success as a captain despite a challenging start in the fifty-over format. He replaced Rohit Sharma as captain and has a 50 percent win percentage. The Men in Blue have won six and lost as many under his leadership.

“A young leader has to understand the importance of senior players. It is not negative if you seek help from the players around you.

“You have the power to take the final call as a captain. The experienced players give you great options, but you are the final authority. Shubman has Rohit and Virat in the team. He has been consistent when it comes to energy levels. The way he conducts himself as a skipper and before that as a player shows real consistency,”  Rhodes said on JioStar.

“You shouldn’t try to be someone else. It is impossible, as when you are under pressure as a leader, you return to who you really are.

Rhodes mentioned that teams playing the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will have to adapt to the conditions quickly.

“The altitude impacts the game. Playing in a coastal area is different to competing in  Johannesburg or Pretoria. Namibia is one of the co-hosts of the World Cup.

“The wickets will be good in South Africa. The ball will come nicely on to the bat, and there will be good bounce and carry as well. You can hit through the line of the ball as opposed to using the pace.

Rhodes is one of the greatest fielders in the history of the game, and his run-out of  Inzamam-ul-Haq at the 1992 World Cup is still fresh in the minds of the fans. However, his most cherished memory came against the West Indies in 1993.

“The run-out made me famous, and people started taking fielding seriously. However, the most amazing moment came during the Hero Cup at the CCI in 1993. We were playing against the West Indies in front of 20,000 fans.

“I took five catches and was informed that it was a new world record. I was not aware that there were records for fielding as well. You get support when you play in your country. But it was a neutral venue and South Africa were not playing against India. The 20,000 people were chanting Jonty, Jonty. It is something I will never forget,” he concluded.