Former Indian coach Abhishek Nair has shared an interesting inside story about Rohit Sharma’s early captaincy career. Nair revealed that Rohit Sharma was once removed from the post of captain of the Mumbai cricket team due to his emotional and expressive nature on the field.
When Rohit Sharma was removed from the post of Mumbai captain due to emotional outburst
The former Indian all-rounder revealed that Rohit was quite vocal since his early days. He shared that if a fielder dropped a catch or something went wrong, Rohit would show his frustration openly by throwing his cap, shouting or reacting strongly, although he is still the same Rohit Sharma.
At that time such behavior was unacceptable for a captain. Rohit’s aggressive and emotional style did not fit that image and ultimately he was removed from the captaincy of Mumbai. The irony is that the same Rohit later became one of India’s most successful and respected captains.
Also read: No Virat Kohli! Former CSK star calls Rohit Sharma closest to MS Dhoni
The Hitman created his legacy by leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians. He established himself as one of the most dangerous opening batsmen in all formats of the game so far, but is now active only in ODI cricket.
Outspoken and passionate: Rohit’s early leadership style
Abhishek Nair said on ‘The Great Indian Cricket Show’, “Everyone says that Rohit Sharma is a great captain. But not many people know that he was removed from the captaincy of the Mumbai team. Because he was so expressive that people wondered whether he would be able to handle the team. Because if someone missed a catch, he would pick up his cap and throw it. He would shout and say something.”
So, it was very new at that time. It wasn’t something that people said was okay. At that time people believed that a captain should be very cultured. He should remain calm. They should not speak too much. So, I think there are a lot of stories. He would kill me if I shared them. Because there are so many stories.”
Our generation lived cricket like no other: Nair
Meanwhile, the current Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach explained that his generation loved cricket so much that they lived and breathed the game, but things are different now.
Nair said, “But we used to do a lot of things. I think cricket has changed. But our generation was such that we lived the game. Literally. Because even after the match was over, we did not go home. We used to sit in the dressing room and talk till we were thrown out. We used to talk a lot and pass the time.”
Abhishek Nair: Everyone knows that Rohit Sharma is a great captain. But very few people know that once he was removed from the post of captain of Mumbai due to excessive expression. His highly vocal style was seen as new and unconventional at the time.
– Rohan (@rohann__45) 4 February 2026
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Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai bonding with Abhishek Nair
Notably, Rohit and Abhishek share a close friendship since their Mumbai days. Nair has been more than a teammate to Rohit, as he has been training the former Indian skipper to improve his skills and stay fit. Even Rohit openly credited Nair for improving his batting.
Rohit was recently seen playing for India in the ODI series against New Zealand on home soil. He will be seen in action for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL 2026.
