'Rohit Sharma won five IPL titles, many didn't win once': Gautam Gambhir praises India skipper

India beat Sri Lanka by a landslide in the Asia Cup final on Sunday. It ended India's five-year wait for a trophy in multi-nation events. The last success also came in the continental tournament back in 2018.

In the process, Rohit Sharma-led India clinched their eighth Asia Cup title and seventh in the ODI format. The win on Sunday was made possible by Mohammed Siraj's fiery six-wicket spell. The lethal bowling spell dismantled Sri Lanka for just 50 runs and India romped home in the seventh over with 10 wickets in hand.

Siraj's intense bowling and Sharma's aggressive captaincy proved far too much for Sri Lanka who buckled under pressure.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir praised Sharma and said, “There was never a doubt about Rohit the captain. He won 5 IPL titles. Many didn’t even win once.”

Gambhir, though, was quick to point out that the real test will come at the World Cup in two weeks. “But his real test will come in the next 15 days. You have your best 15-18 players in the dressing room now. If they cannot deliver, there will be question marks,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

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“After every World Cup, if the captain is unable to deliver then questions will be raised. Virat Kohli faced it. Rahul Dravid faced it in 2007. If India fail to deliver in 2023, then questions will be raised on Rohit’s captaincy. But this team has the ability to make the World Cup final,” he reminded.

Rohit, meanwhile, hailed the team for the performance. “It was a great performance, especially to come and play like that in a final. Shows the mentality of the team. Very clinical. A performance like that will be cherished for a very long time,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.