CHENNAI: January 23, 2013. It's the fourth ODI between England and India. The PCA Stadium in Mohali had already warmed up to a breezy fifty from a teenaged Joe Root, but the real show was yet to begin. Chasing 258, the then captain had asked Rohit Sharma to open the batting, for the fifth time in an ODI at the point, and he did not disappoint. Sharma had pulled his way into the 30s before settling in. Then came the shot of the night in the 25th over.
Off-spinner James Tredwell tossed it up, but Sharma jumped out of the crease and lofted the ball down the ground with a straight bat and a perfect follow-through. It was a classic display. Pure timing. Elegance personified. All the adjectives often associated to describe Sharma’s batting. It was him being in his element.
Commentator Harsha Bhogle went on air describing the shot saying, "When you look at Rohit Sharma bat like that, you’d say why does he have a record like the one he does…" That, in essence, summed up his international career till then — 2061 runs in 82 innings, 31.22 average, and a strike rate of 78.33. At that time, he had been used in all positions from 1-7, but predominantly in the middle-order. That 83 he made against England in Mohali, however, was the day where a new page was turned, a new book was written. Rohit Sharma — the opener.
If you ask Sharma — the current Indian captain who will lead the country onto the field at the MA Chidambaram Stadium against Australia in their opening game of the 2023 ICC Men's ODI World Cup — he'd probably ask you to leave everything that has happened before 2013 and say, "ask me anything after 2013, we'll talk," as he did candidly during a press conference in 2018.
A decade has passed since that night in Mohali and he is yet to have a calendar year where he averaged less than 40 (minimum five games). Three double hundreds. 10,000 ODI runs. IPL and Champions League trophies. The accolades just go on and on. He isn't the prodigal batter who's trying to prove the world. Nor is he someone who's inconsistent with the bat, blowing hot and cold. Sharma has steadily risen to become the leader that he is now, both on and off the field. He has bided his time to get the captain's cap, too. However, the one thing that has eluded him, and the Indian team, since the 2013 Champions Trophy triumph is an ICC trophy.
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Amol Muzumdar remembers hearing about Sharma in the Mumbai cricketing circles circa 2005. "Whoever is coming through the under-19 ranks, there's definitely going to be a buzz in the Mumbai circles and sometimes you hear the name of the upcoming youngster, and obviously his name was right up there," recalls the former Mumbai captain.
In a span of 12 months, Sharma would go on to play in the U-19 Men's World Cup and make his first-class debut for Mumbai against Kolkata at the Eden Gardens. "When he came into the side, it was as if he had some extra time to play the fast bowler. He had a lot of time to play the ball and that showed the mark of an excellent player. After he made his first-class debut immediately he made it to the Indian side, but it took a while for him to settle on the top of the order," says Muzumdar, who was the captain when Sharma made his Ranji debut.
According to the Cambridge dictionary, the word talent means — a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught. For an athlete to have the tag attached to them early on will only add more pressure, especially if you are a cricketer in India. At times, it could create a perception that the athlete isn't doing justice to their talent, that they are not making the most of it, and that they are being casual.
Sharma shared the burden of the tag for the longest time. Whether it's his ability to pull from any length with ease, his back-foot game, or drives through the off-side — safe to say he had all the shots in the textbook covered and more. Time and again when he failed to score in the early years, the talent tag kept coming back; so much so that at one point he came out and said whatever he has achieved is all hard work and not natural talent.
And former India fielding coach R Sridhar agrees. He does not believe in something called natural talent. "In sport, you have to work your backside off to get the ability you have. Show me one elite athlete who has not worked hard in life. I mean, any athlete has to work really hard to kind of get that kind of performance and win matches for the teams," he says. "Rohit has also worked very, very hard throughout this, even before he represented India U19. Yes, he had the ability to hit the ball. Well, that came from practice. And he spent thousands of hours on the field, in the net, and everywhere to develop that kind of batting which he does today."
Muzumdar, too, reiterates that any athlete playing at the highest level with consistency cannot be casual with the approach and Sharma is no different. "You have to have some kind of discipline otherwise you cannot survive at the top level. He gives us an impression that he is a little bit languid in his approach but you cannot say it as casual. Nobody is casual in their approach," says.
Sharma's stature and performance grew on the field, especially his tactical nous as a captain. He is meticulous when it comes to planning strategies and the results are there to speak for themselves. Off the field, he has become the laid-back 'Rohit bhai' for the youngsters. As someone who had been in and out of the side when he was young, who missed out on the 2011 Men's World Cup squad (and hence the trophy), he knows more than anyone to understand what it's like for a youngster breaking into a team full of seniors. Inevitably, he takes them under his wing and often tries to ensure that they have a sense of belonging.
The words 'chilled out' and 'laid back' keep making their way into conversations when you ask about how he is off the field. There is also a sense of disarming quality about him. "As a captain, I have seen him giving a lot of space to the players, especially the bowlers. He engages with the players off the field as well. He looks to build that bond not just with the players but also with the staff," Sridhar remembers fondly. For Muzumdar, seeing the evolution of the up-and-coming youngster in Mumbai to India captain has been enormous. "Phenomenal" is the word he uses to describe Sharma's journey which he has watched from close quarters for almost two decades.
Sharma's aforementioned quality often extends to the press box as well, where he keeps the conversation engaging and fun while being clear when he means business. When athletes go out of their way to do so with the media, it can come off odd at times, but with Sharma that is not the case. There are enough examples on YouTube to know how candid he is during press conferences. "He is just being himself," says Muzumdar, before adding, "but he is being very smart and he is handling those things excellently. There is an aura around him, there is a little bit of a mystiqueness about Rohit and he carries it really well."
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While Sharma, in the past decade, has come a long way and has won everything there is to win for an Indian cricketer, one trophy has remained evasive. In 2011, he was left out of the squad for the home WC, but he came back stronger to become one of the greatest ODI openers to have played the sport. In 2015, India lost in the semifinal to Australia. But four years later, Sharma was a man on a mission. He outbatted everyone else in the 2019 edition, smashing five centuries and over 600 runs to take India into the knockouts.
In fact, his century against South Africa in India's opening game against a quality pace attack set the tone for their campaign. And it remains one of Sridhar's favourites. "First game against South Africa, it was a very tricky pitch in Southampton. But the way he mastered the chase, from thereon was no looking back. He scored one against Pakistan, then it was England, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The kind of knocks he played in that World Cup… I think he was in a good space. He was very relaxed. He was on the top of his game in terms of technique and application," says the 53-year-old.
The semifinal against New Zealand went into reserve day and the top-order collapsed. When Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni were trying to take the chase deep, Sharma could be seen standing on the balcony constantly encouraging and communicating. India fell short in the end and it was a bitter pill to swallow for not just Sharma but the players and support staff as well.
In the four years since, Sharma has become the all-format captain, and at 36, he has another chance to chase his World Cup dream at home. Admittedly, he knows what is at stake. "Winning it would mean the world to him," says Sridhar.
If you had any doubts, there is a video of him sitting next to the trophy on ICC's social media platform in the lead-up to the event. "I have never seen it so close. Even when we won in 2011, I was not a part of the squad. Looks beautiful, so many memories behind the trophy as well. The past, the history. Hopefully, we can lift it," Sharma would say, not wanting to take his eye off the trophy.
On Saturday, when asked what it means to captain India in a home World Cup, the 36-year-old did not think twice before saying how big of a deal it is for him. "For me, this is the biggest event that I will be part of. I've said it many times that it was always a dream to be part of the World Cup team. And now to be part of the team and then as captain, I don't know how to describe that because it's a big deal for me," he said. Referring to Sachin Tendulkar, who had to wait 22 years to win an ODI World Cup, Sharma said that just like the master blaster, they, too, have unfinished business until they win one. He elaborated on the process they want to follow and the significance of it before finishing in an inimitable Rohit style: "But yeah, it will be nice to win a World Cup."
Sporting legacies are complicated. For Indian sports, especially cricket, it's always been about winning the coveted ODI World Cup. So many greats of the game have come so close before missing out. That only 29 Indian cricketers from the 248, who have played for the country since the inception of the tournament, have got their hands on the trophy is telling.
Sharma has etched his name in the history books. He has the IPL, Champions League T20, ICC Champions Trophy, and T20 World Cup winning medals in his cabinet. Will his legacy be any different if he doesn't win the World Cup? Muzumdar disagrees. "I think it is extremely important (winning the WC), but at the same time, we need to celebrate a terrific career so far and not think about 'oh he has not won a World Cup yet'. There is an opportunity for him to win the World Cup, right in front of him. But at the same time, we need to also realize that he's been a magnificent player and has had a terrific career so far."
As for the team, Sridhar believes they have all the skill set needed to go all the way, adding that they need some luck as well. "I really pray and hope that the little bit of luck which is needed will go the team's way because they have done so many things right in the lead-up to the World Cup. A lot of tough decisions were taken by the management, including Rohit. They have worked really hard to get the team where they are now. I think they deserve to win."
Whether they will lift the trophy or not cannot be said yet, but what can be, with confidence, is that Sharma and his team will give their everything over the next month and half to do just that.