India’s star batsman and captain, Rohit Sharma, has opened up about the difficult phase he experienced after being left out of the Indian squad for the 2011 ODI World Cup. While the Indian team went on to win the tournament, ending the nation’s long wait for World Cup glory, Rohit, who had previously won the 2007 T20 World Cup, was not part of the squad for the 2011 edition.
It was only in 2013 that Rohit established himself as a regular member of the Indian team, and he eventually took over the captaincy in all three formats in 2022. Reflecting on the disappointment of missing out on the ODI World Cup squad, the 34-year-old revealed that he chose not to watch most of the matches, except for the semifinal and final where India defeated Sri Lanka.
Rohit acknowledged that during that period, he underwent significant changes in his career, recognizing that if things didn’t improve, it could have had disastrous consequences, potentially ending his cricketing journey.
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“To be honest, I didn’t watch the World Cup itself, except the semis and the finals because I was so disappointed. Every time I turned on the TV, I felt like I could have been there, contemplating what went wrong and so on,” Rohit shared during a conversation with Jiocinema.
Rohit Sharma reveals the 'disaster' that followed after he missed out on India's ODI World Cup squad in 2011#odiworldcup #RohitSharma #MumbaiIndians #IPL2023 https://t.co/OvIQvQmDZ5
— News18 CricketNext (@cricketnext) May 24, 2023
The Mumbai Indians captain also admitted that he held himself responsible for missing the opportunity. However, this setback prompted Rohit to make several changes in his lifestyle and approach to the game. He acknowledged that if he hadn’t made those changes, his cricketing career would have been at risk.
“I had to make changes then, or else I knew I wouldn’t play cricket anymore. I realized that my life was on the edge. If I didn’t perform or make certain changes, it could lead to a disaster, and I would have had nowhere to go. It was that kind of situation for me,” he added.
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Fortunately, Rohit’s fortunes turned around when he was appointed captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. He solidified his place in the Indian team as an opener and has not looked back since. Although India came close to winning the T20 World Cup last year, falling to eventual champions England in the semifinals, Rohit now sets his sights on the upcoming home ODI World Cup in 2023, hoping to bring the coveted trophy back to India.
