It started with him being a young member of MS Dhoni’s 2007 World T20 winning team and went on to earn another world title as a leader. Truly, things have come full circle for one of India’s modern-day batting greats.
Bridgetown (Barbados): From an overweight teenager then to a grizzled veteran now. The young boy from Mumbai, who is happy in the field and feels like he is playing off the field has seen all the ups and downs that a cricketer passes through in his career of 18 years. Rohit Sharma After ending his T20 international career, Rohit feels life has come full circle.
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“I was told when I started playing in 2007 I won South Africa World Cup and now I am leaving you with another World Cup. My career truly came full circle” said Rohit at Kensington Oval later after India won.
His official press conference happened long ago where he declared his retirement from that event. The moment of victory was shared by the captain together with teammates, coaches, and support staff.
Rohit dismissed the media when they asked him to talk about his T20 career again.
“Chalo, kar lo yaar, aa jao (Okay, do it, come here).” He called us into the dressing room front side.
The skipper goes back to his youth which saw him just establishing himself as an international cricketer. As part of MS Dhoni’s side which won the inaugural World T20 title; he made six against Pakistan in the final match. In last over of innings then 20 year old hit left-arm pacer Sahail Tanveer for a six which is not often spoken about.
It prove to be a crucial shot that was different when Times of India remind him about it Rohit said: “haan bilkul yaad hain (yes i remember), i was a kid then……basically had a 5 or 6 and finishing ability used to be very challenging for me at that time and im still in the process of learning this format now I’m better at it. Understanding this, I told these young boys how important it was to play these small roles that were given to them.
Rohit has passed through many phases as a batsman. He started off as an average middle order floater who slowly turned into a white ball opener and by the mid-2010s he became a monster that scared everyone. But his real development as a cricketer came later in the decade when he got hold of the red ball, that too as an opener. This goes a long way in making him the all-round captain, something he excels brilliantly.
Rohit will continue playing ODIs & Tests as well as IPL but asked how difficult juggling between multiple formats is, the 37-year-old said: “Oh yes, all formats are different and it is hard to adapt especially for captains there are certain technical things you have to Very hard.” Now people keep on planning outsmarting batsmen in T20 but you know it’s interesting format & challenge that’s what sometimes keeps me going. I always enjoy challenges.
Rohit and Virat Kohli will most likely miss the upcoming T20 World Cup if India had won the ODI World Cup last November. According to those close to the team management, disappointment of 19th November 2023 made them go with it as a closure. Nevertheless, Rohit maintained, “I will not do pre-decision making”.
“Whatever I feel like doing, I will do it. It’s just that I don’t know if I’ll be playing in the game. I hadn’t thought about retiring from T20 here actually; however, this feels absolutely right for me,” clarified the top order batsman before adding that he really wants to win this World Cup.
It feels good to see a captain who has been consistent throughout this World Cup. And scored three crucial half-centuries; playing his best innings against Australia.
