SALUTING THE 'HITMAN'

Charting Rohit Sharma's incredible journey from the bylanes of Borivali to captaincy on the international pitch

- Stuti Kute

After India's T20I win under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, his name has been abuzz around the country from the lips of children playing gully cricket to the older generation who grew up with Tendulkar and Gavaskar. For good reason too, as Team India's win was nothing less than legendary. Rohit's captaincy in ODI and T20 has been era-defining, with his signature coolness matching his equal aggression, paving the way for Team India's spectacular performance all around.

The beginning

Having made his ODI debut in 2007 against Ireland in Belfast, the young man was already showing promise. Although he did bat that day, the barely 20-yearold's entry into the international cricket scene was marked by the immense potential he held - our "Hitman" in the making, as he is lovingly called by his fans owing to his tremendously powerful sixes.

Cricket coaches have recognised that for any talented cricketer to reach his optimal form, it takes seven years.

Whether there is a science to it, or if it is a romantic notion akin to the number seven, is not for us to decide. But it was certainly true for Rohit. He started as a raw talent, someone whose love for the game was in line with the gift with which he was born. Growing up, he played gully cricket like millions of other boys and girls in Mumbai and was noticed by a coach at a school game. The young mayerick's energy was notable, as he kept his cool and led his team to victory. The first to notice it was Dinesh Lad, coach at Swami Vivekananda School, Borivali, and a Dronacharya Award Winner (2022).

Proposing to his family that they transfer him to his school, Lad fought to get Sharma under his tutelage. Hailing from a lower middle-class family, it wasn't affordable for his family to pay the fees for such a prestigious school. But Lad convinced the administration to waive the fee and commenced the process of building a legend.

Although, the journey from there was no easy feat.