“During 2003,” recalls Abhishek Nayar as TOI questions the former India and Mumbai all-rounder and current assistant coach of Kolkata Knight Riders about his first ever interaction with his “closest, closest” pal Rohit Sharma.
“We (Mumbai’s senior team) had gone to Hyderabad to play in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup. I fell sick there.I had a fever and was sleeping in my room. It was then that someone named Rohit Sharma who was supposed to be my roommate came back after playing for Mumbai in an U-19 event. This made him very considerate because he would go outside the room if he had to make any call on phone or anything else which might otherwise affect me through noise disturbance caused by such calls. He talked softly most of the time, avoiding giving away much information about himself. He never spoke until we got closer, and over time, it became like a close friendship that is still intact,” Nayar says.
Nayar would soon see a glimpse of teenager Rohit’s rare talent.
“We batted together in one match. What I saw at that point was unbelievable for red ball cricket. It is not something you often saw then. The cameos were twenty plus odd scores with some great sixes play.
“Since then, I knew Rohit was special; I have enjoyed watching him bat from those days on. In fact, when he played for the Mumbai U-19 team he used to hit big sixes off every ball; consistently sending them onto first & second tiers at both Brabourne & Wankhede stadiums.You wouldn’t get that kind of hitting power from a 17 year old,” Nayar admits.
And so happened the moment when Rohit got into Indian squad at just 19 out of nowhere.
It was April 4, 2007. Chasing Gujarat’s 142 at the Brabourne Stadium in a league match of the inaugural edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, Mumbai were struggling at 32/3 after six overs when Rohit scored an unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls to take his team to a victory, hitting thirteen fours and five sixes. This was his very first hundred in Indian T20s.
Wilkin Mota made Mumbai’s second highest score which was only 14 in that five-wicket victory.
“One of his sixes broke the glass at CCI when he smashed Siddharth Trivedi for a six on the first floor,” Nayar says.
Amongst those watching the match was former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, then the national chief selector.
“It was the only game in that tournament where Rohit got runs but he got pick up into Indian squad soon thereafter, so a lot of credit goes to Dilip sir who really believed in him,” Nayar recalls.
Months later, Rohit represented India in their triumph over Pakistan in South Africa at the first World T20 while few years afterwards came as a shocker; neither being fit nor in form, he was dropped from Indian team ahead of their triumphant campaign during ICC Cricket World Cup held there four years ago.
“That was like his biggest rejection ever. While India won that World Cup, Rohit felt that he had lost it most personally. But I call that as ‘transformation’ moment; after which started renaissance (Nayar helped him with fitness). It was all about change for attitude towards game and fitness going through complete 180 degrees,” stated Nayar.
