Indian captain Rohit Sharma at the Visakhapatnam airport (AFP)
Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha recently opened up on his bonding with Rohit and revealed the latter’s struggle to even afford his cricket kit
Rohit Sharma, the Indian men’s cricket team captain, is one of the modern-era stalwarts of the game with numerous records to his credit. After making his international debut in 2007, during the T20 World Cup in South Africa, Rohit has been through numerous highs and all those sweet and sour experiences have made him what he is today. Every renowned cricketer has to go through certain hardships to taste success and Rohit’s story isn’t different.
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Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha recently opened up on his bonding with Rohit and revealed the latter’s struggle to even afford his cricket kit. Speaking on JioCinema, Ojha recalled the moment he first met Rohit formally in the U-15 national camp and how everyone was saying he was a special player.
“When I first met Rohit in the U-15 national camp, everyone said he was a very special player. There, I played against him and took his wicket. Rohit being a typical Bombay guy didn’t speak much but was aggressive when he played. In fact, I was very surprised as to why he was being so aggressive with me when we didn’t know each other! But after that our friendship began to grow,” Ojha remembered.
“He was from a middle-class family and I remember he once got emotional when we discussed how his budget for cricket kits was restricted. In fact, he also delivered milk packets – of course, that was really a long time ago – so that he could buy his kit. Now when I see him, I feel very proud of how our journey started and where we reached,” added Ojha.
Rohit made his Test debut in 2013 against the West Indies, at Eden gardens. But Ojha revealed the Mumbai batter already got the opportunity back in 2010 but due to an unfortunate incident, he had to wait for three years. Rohit Sharma ended up twisting his ankle and had to wait for this ambition to be fulfilled.
“After that injury, I remember him being so aggressive and determined for two reasons: one for making his Test debut, and second, to get the Test cap from Sachin Tendulkar,” Ojha said.
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