According to former India pacer S Sreesanth, Rohit Sharma has always been a dedicated and focused individual since his early days in international cricket. As an example, Sreesanth mentioned that Rohit chose not to indulge in frequent socializing or partying with teammates as he had a strong determination to establish himself in the sport.
Rohit, 36, is a prominent figure in international cricket. Having made his debut in 2007, this stylish batsman has played in 52 Tests, 252 ODIs, and 148 T20Is, accumulating an impressive total of 17,642 runs across different formats.
In an interview, Sreesanth revealed an intriguing story regarding Rohit’s refusal to party as a child.
“I would like to share one thing – very few people would know about it. We were playing the CB series [2007-08]. Rohit Sharma was there and he had performed very well. We used to go out for dinner or parties in the night. Rohit rarely joined us. He used to say, ‘Sree nahi, aap log niklo’ [Sree, you guys leave]. I used to ask why and he used to be like, ‘Nahi, nahi, pehle kuch ban jau, fir main karunga’ [Let me become something first, then I will do it [party],”
“That mindset of his was that, ‘I am not thinking about just today’. That was very good to see in a youngster. I wouldn’t say that I knew back then that he would become a superstar. But, I knew he would do extremely well for himself, keep improving,”
S Sreesanth
During the 2007-08 CB series in Australia, Rohit scored 235 runs in 10 innings, averaging 33.57 and hitting two half-centuries.
“I recently met Rohit Sharma after 10 years during this IPL” – Sreesanth
Sreesanth also disclosed that he recently met the Indian skipper after 10 years during the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former Kerala speedster regarded Rohit as his younger brother and termed the meeting as touching.
“I recently met Rohit Sharma after 10 years during this IPL. When he came to my room, for 30 seconds, we were just looking at each other. At the end of the day, Rohit, me, Raina, Robin Uthappa, Dhoni bhai, we were all very close. We used to hang out together. Suddenly, when he walked in, it was like a movie. We discussed normally about family for 15 minutes and then he left for a team meeting,”
“For me, Rohit is more like younger brother and I will always respect that. I wish him all the very best. I want him to win the World Cup and he will win the World Cup,”
Rohit Sharma
In the World Cup match against Australia, Rohit was dismissed for a duck, although India won by six wickets.