The world record holder for the highest individual score by a batsman in the history of One-Day International (ODI) cricket. The only player to have scored three double hundreds in the 50-over format. The man with most number of centuries in the history of Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). Rohit Sharma is as big and as respected as they come in international cricket.

Starting his career as a middle-order batsman, Rohit struggled to find his feet and cement his position in the Indian team early on in his career. By stroke of sheer luck, the Mumbai batsman was handed the responsibility of opening the innings for India and since then, there has been no turning back for the marauding right-hander.

Today, he is recognised as a vital cog in the Indian batting line-up and a swashbuckling opening batsman who is capable of tearing any bowling attack apart on the cricket field. His artistry with the willow has not only earned him plaudits from the greats, but also allowed him to win multiple honours.

© Instagram/@rohitsharma45

Spending time with his uncles who were all cricketers at school and college levels early in their lives, it was quite obvious for Rohit to fall in love with cricket. After playing for countless hours in the streets of his grandparents' residence, Rohit's cricketing ambitions were given a boost by his loving uncles who pitched in Rs 50 each to get him enrolled in a cricket camp in 1999.

Starting his cricketing endeavours as an off-spinner who could bat a little, Dinesh Lad, who was running the cricket camp, spotted the ability of Rohit as a batsman. Soon, he advised Rohit to change his school to 'Swami Vivekanand International School' which had better cricket facilities. But, given his family's condition, Rohit told his coach that he wouldn't be able to afford the school.

Just when things looked bleak, Rohit found a saviour in his coach Lad who got him a scholarship that finally saw him move to the Vivekanand school. Honing the skills with better facilities at his new school, Rohit underwent a crucial transformation from being a spinner to becoming a potent opening batsman - something that was visible in his Harris and Giles Shield debut where he scored a century as an opener. 

© Reuters

But, while Team India, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, went on to win the inaugural World T20, Rohit, from thereon, couldn't justify his place in the national side. Batting in the middle-order and failing to prove his worth with the willow, Rohit remained in and out of the Indian team for five frustrating years and even missed out on being selected for the 2011 World Cup.

Rohit's inconsistent run reached to a disastrous low in 2012 where he scored just 168 runs in the whole calendar year at an unbelievably poor average of 12.92 with just one fifty to his name. But, despite his poor form, Dhoni showed his faith in Rohit when he asked him to open the innings for India in the 2013 Champions Trophy - a move that went on to change the career of the Mumbai batsman. And, since then, there has been no turning back for Rohit.

View the full article