Rohit Sharma Birthday: Throwback when Hitman expressed disappointment after 2011 World Cup snub

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Rohit Sharma

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Team India captain and star batter Rohit Sharma turned 38th on Wednesday, April 30. The Mumbai cricketer is regarded as one of the greatest ever batters the cricketing world has ever seen.

After making his international debut for Team India in an ODI match against Ireland, Rohit Sharma went on to establish himself as one of the batting mainstays for India across all formats of the game. His ability to effortlessly time the ball and unleash his firepower earned him the sobriquet ‘Hitman’. Rohit remains the only batter in the history of ODI cricket to score three ODI centuries, with a record-breaking knock of 264 against Sri Lanka at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in 2014.

Apart from being a cricketer, Rohit Sharma is also known for expressing his emotions, whether it be joy after a memorable win or disappointment during challenging times. Even on the field, Team India skipper would often wear his heart on his sleeve, letting his emotions, be it a pumped celebration after opposition’s wicket falls or visibly frustrated reaction when the things did not go in his team’s favour.

Rohit Sharma’s tweet after 2011 ODI World Cup snub

In January 2011, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the India squad for the 2011 World Cup. The squad announcement created a lot of buzz as it was the last World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar and India was the host of the tournament. The squad was picked by the selection committee led by Kris Srikkanth and Rohit Sharma’s name was missing from the squad, leaving everyone surprised.

The chief selection committee picked Virat Kohli, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla among others, and leaving out Rohit Sharma sparked debate. After the squad announcement, the right-handed batter took to Twitter (now called X) and expressed his disappointment over his exclusion from the squad while needing to move on from the setback.

“Really really disappointed of not being the part of the WC squad..I need to move on frm here..but honestly it was a big setback..any views!” Rohit Sharma wrote.

One of the reasons for Rohit Sharma’s snub from the India squad for the ODI World Cup was his inconsistent performances after recovering from the shoulder injury and struggling to cement his place in the middle-order. Instead, management and selectors decided to pick Virat Kohli and play him at No.4.

After being ignored by the selectors for the 2011 World Cup, Rohit Sharma worked hard and played the next three World Cups in 2015, 2019, and 2023. He was the highest run-getter of the 2019 World Cup, amassing 648 runs, including 5 centuries and a fifty, at an average of 81.00 in 9 matches.

Look back at Rohit Sharma’s illustrious career

Rohit Sharma’s first career breakthrough came when he played a crucial knock of 50 off 40 balls against South Africa in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007.

Rohit Sharma was a middle-order batter for India until then MS Dhoni decided to promote him as an opener during the 2013 Champions Trophy against South Africa. Thereafter, the right-handed continued to play as an opener and emerged as the one of the most destructive openers in the cricketing world. In 2022, Rohit Sharma was appointed as the all-format captain and led Team India in a successful home series. Rohit led the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup title in 2024 and the Champions Trophy this year.

Rohit Sharma is leading only in Tests and ODIs as he retired from the T20Is after captaining the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup triumph last year.

Rohit Sharma is the fourth-leading run-getter for India across all formats, amassing 19700 runs, including 3 double centuries, 46 centuries, and 108 fifties, at an average of 42.18 in 499 matches. Rohit scored a record-breaking ODI knock of 264 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens Stadium in 2014