Captaincy makes Rohit Sharma a better batsman, says Sunil Gavaskar

New Delhi: Former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar is all praises for Rohit Sharma's captaincy acumen.

Rohit was named as the captain of the Indian team for the ongoing Asia Cup, after the selectors had decided to rest current skipper Virat Kohli, in a bid to keep him fit for the upcoming series with West Indies and Australia.

The 69-year-old 'Little Master' said he was admired by Rohit's captaincy style ever since he first led the Mumbai Indians franchise team to victory in the cash-rich Indian Premier League in 2013.

"The first time he led Mumbai Indians to an IPL win, that was his first season as a captain and he impressed straight away with his knowledge of what to do next more than what to plan," ICC quoted Gavaskar as saying.

Rohit's captaincy has not affected his form, as he has led India to victories in three matches in the Asia Cup so far. He has also struck two half-centuries in those matches, which also includes an unbeaten 83 against Bangladesh.

Gavaskar added, "Every time he has got an opportunity to captain India, he has shown his acumen. He has shown how patient he can be, and then as a batsman, the added responsibility only makes him better."

The 31-year-old opener is not new to the role of captaincy. He led India to 2-1 and 3-0 victories over Sri Lanka in One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals in December last year, followed by a win against the same opponent and Bangladesh in the Nidahas Trophy in March this year.

Gavaskar also lauded all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's roaring comeback to the ODI side after a spirited performance against Bangladesh in their match on Friday.

"I think Ravindra Jadeja merits his place because I believe he is a better bowler, batsman, and fielder (than Axar Patel, who Jadeja replaced)," Gavaskar said.