Former Indian coach Abhishek Nayar has shared an interesting inside story about Rohit Sharma’s early captaincy career. Nayar revealed that Rohit Sharma was once removed as the Mumbai cricket team’s captain because of his emotional and expressive nature on the field.
When Rohit Sharma was removed as Mumbai captain for emotional outbursts
The former Indian all-rounder revealed that Rohit was very vocal since his early days. He shared that if a fielder dropped a catch or something went wrong, Rohit used to 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 he was eventually removed from Mumbai’s captaincy. Ironically, the same Rohit later evolved into one of India’s most successful and respected captains.
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The Hitman carved his own legacy by leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, and the Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. He also established himself as one of the most dangerous openers across the formats the game has ever seen, but he is now only active in ODI cricket.
Vocal and Passionate: Rohit’s early leadership style
Abhishek Nayar 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, people used to wonder whether he would be able to handle the team. Because if someone missed a catch, he used to pick up his cap and throw it away. He used to shout and say something.
So, it was very new at that time. It was not something that people would say is okay. Back then, people had a perspective that a captain should be very cultured. He should be calm. He shouldn’t speak much. So, I think there are a lot of stories. If I share them, he will kill me. Because there are a lot of stories.”
Our generation lived cricket like no other: Nayar
Meanwhile, the current Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach explained that their generation loved cricket so much that they lived and breathed the game, but now things are different.
Nayar signed off by saying, “But we used to do a lot of things. I feel that cricket has changed. But our generation was such that we lived the sport. Literally. Because even after the match was over, we wouldn’t go home. We used to sit in the dressing room and talk until we were kicked out. We used to talk a lot and pass time.”
Abhishek Nayar: Everyone knows Rohit Sharma is a great captain. But few know he was once removed as Mumbai captain for being too expressive.His highly vocal style was seen as new and unconventional at the time.😂🔥
— Rohan💫 (@rohann__45) February 4, 2026
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Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai bond with Abhishek Nayar
Notably, Rohit and Abhishek share a close friendship from their Mumbai days. Nayar has been more than a teammate for Rohit, as he has been training the former Indian captain and improving his skills and staying fit. Even Rohit openly credited Nayar for refining his batting.
Rohit was recently seen in action for India in the ODI series against New Zealand at home. He will be next seen in action for the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL 2026.
