Ansh Shah retweetet
When I die, bury me in a Rohit Sharma jersey, because I may just make a comeback 🙏💙 (PART 2)
What do you do when the people of your own country hate you..why? Because you took over the captaincy from their favorite person. No Indian fan would have denied the chance of leading the country had BCCI given it to them..the hate on Rohit from Day 1 as captain was simply unwarranted. From Day 1 there was almost an army of supporters wanting to see him fail, wanting to see India fail.
But challenges were not something Rohit would have ever backed down from. He was dealt the hard hand of not being picked in 2011 World Cup squad, then being told to open if he wants to be a white ball regular, then being told to open in Tests too as his only chance of revival, Rohit did it all.
As Indian captain, first year was all about understanding and imprinting his brand of cricket on the team. It all looked muddled and came crashing down in 2022 in that evening in Adelaide where England thumped India in that T20 WC semifinal.
At this stage, everyone including myself probably wanted the seniors like Rohit gone and wanted the baton to be handed to youngsters in T20. Easiest thing for Rohit would have been to walk off..but no..thats what separated him from others, CHARACTER.
He said "Enough is enough, this is outdated cricket and this is not how we should play. We will attack we will instill fear in the opposition minds and I WILL LEAD THE WAY."
This came from a man who smashed 5 centuries in 2019 World Cup. He had absolutely no need to change his ODI game as no one was questioning that. But he understood the demands of modern white ball era.
We didn't win 2023 World Cup. But from Nov 2022 to Nov 2023, that man walked the talk and produced an all-timer World Cup campaign with 597 runs at 120+ strike rate.
"Oh he is hitting them nice..but can he do it against Boult in the semifinal?"
Bang. Six over extra cover dancing down the track. Six behind square leg on the next ball.
"Oh ok cool. Surely he cannot do that in the World Cup final against Australia."
Bang. Down the track to Hazlewood and through the cobers. Next ball a swivel pull towards square leg. Lofted extra cover shot to Starc.
That day destiny was not in his control and that incredible catch by Head proved it. Only one Lion had turned up that day from India.
Despite all the love he got for that campaign, even I questioned the decision of bringing Rohit back into T20 setup. Especially 2 years later.
Result? Highest run scorer for India in the tournament and a clutch semifinal knock on a tricky Guyana pitch. India had the most unfair schedule that T20 WC because under the blanket of "growing the cricket audience" they were made to play first on spicy USA pitches and then slow West Indies pitches at different venues each game.
He still found a solution to everything. Went onto win the T20 WC and then CT unbeaten.
23 wins from 24 games in ICC events as captain. Simply ridiculous.
Even at the age of 39, he has worked on his fitness and continues to let his bat do the talking in ODIs despite questions on his future.
Rohit's whole career almost has gone in making his critics proven wrong. Little did he know that he was just making his own legacy as a fighter who always showed character in the face of adversity and just never gave up.
History will be kind to you Rohit, not for your elegant drives or for those pull shots, but for what you achieved AFTER YOU WERE WRITTEN OFF.
You will remain an inspiration to me and to millions of others that never ever give up no matter what the situation is. Will forever be grateful to you for the impact you have had on my life as a cricketer, as a leader, and most importantly as a human being. 💙
The man who dared to dream and the man who changed the course of Indian cricket through his sheer willpower, ending the drought and pain of millions 🥺
Happiest Birthday Ro💙 @ImRo45
#HappyBirthdayRohit
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