Team India captain Rohit Sharma opened up on the ‘disaster’ period that unfolded in his life after he missed out on India’s 2011 ODI World Cup squad. While the Men in Blue would go on to lift the World Cup at home ending the much-anticipated wait for the World Cup crown, Rohit, who had won the 2007 T20 World Cup missed out on the squad for the 2011 spectacle.
It was only after 2013 that Rohit became a regular in the Indian team and was later handed the captaincy in all three formats in 2022. Recalling the past horrors of how he felt that missing the ODI World Cup squad, the 34-year-old revealed that he didn’t watch the 2011 World Cup games except the semifinal and the final where India defeated Sri Lanka.
Rohit also stated that he underwent many changes in his career during that phase where he knew if things didn’t change for the better, it could have led to a ‘disaster’ and he wouldn’t be able to play cricket anymore.
“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.
The ‘Hitman’ further admitted that he had nobody but himself to blame after missing the cut. However, the setback led to Rohit making many changes to his lifestyle, to his game, and if not for that period, he knew that his ‘life was on the edge’.
“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.
Thankfully, becoming the captain of MI led to a turnaround in fortunes for Rohit who cemented his place in the Indian team as an opener and hasn’t looked back since.
He came close to lifting the T20 World Cup last year but India lost to eventual champions England in the semifinals although Rohit will be hoping to bring back the home ODI World Cup 2023 which will be hosted in India later in October-November.