Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma recently opened up about a challenging period in his life that followed his exclusion from India's 2011 ODI World Cup squad. Despite India's eventual triumph in the tournament, Rohit, who had previously won the 2007 T20 World Cup, was left out of the squad for the 2011 event.
It wasn't until 2013 that Rohit became a regular member of the Indian team, and he was eventually appointed captain in all three formats in 2022. Reflecting on the difficulties he faced after missing out on the ODI World Cup squad, the 34-year-old revealed that he only watched the semifinal and final matches of the tournament, where India defeated Sri Lanka.
During this challenging phase, Rohit underwent significant changes in his career. He recognized that if things didn't improve, it could have led to a disastrous outcome, and he may not have been able to continue playing cricket.
“Honestly I didn’t watch the World Cup itself except the semis and the finals because I was so disappointed that I didn’t want to watch, everytime I put the TV on I felt that I could have been there, what went wrong and stuff like that," revealed the Mumbai Indians captain in a chat with Jiocinema.
Rohit acknowledged that he was solely responsible for missing the cut, and he took full ownership of his mistake. Nevertheless, this setback prompted him to make significant changes to both his lifestyle and his game.
“I had to make changes then or I knew wouldn’t have played cricket anymore, I knew that my life is on the edge, if I don’t perform or if I don’t do certain things manner, this can lead up to a disaster. Then I’d have nowhere to go, it was that kind of a situation for me," he added.
Fortunately, assuming the role of captain for MI proved to be a turning point for Rohit, as he solidified his position as an opener in the Indian team and has since continued to excel.
Although India fell short of winning the T20 World Cup last year, with England ultimately taking the title in the semifinals, Rohit remains determined to lead his team to victory in the upcoming home ODI World Cup in 2023. This highly anticipated event will take place in India during the months of October and November.
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