Hitman’s Journey: The Record Breaking Rise of Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was born on April 30, 1987 in Bansod, India. He is an Indian cricketer who currently captains the Indian Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams. Sharma was also the captain of India's Twenty-20 International team until he announced his retirement on June 29, 2024, following the team's T20 World Cup victory against South Africa.

He captained the Mumbai Indians, an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise side, for ten years, winning five titles. Sharma is well-known for his batting abilities, earning him the nickname "Hitman" from his admirers. He also bowls off-spin sometimes.

In ODI cricket, Sharma is the only player with three double hundreds; no other player has even scored two. In addition, he has the record for the most sixes in World Cups, the most international sixes in all formats, and the greatest individual score in an ODI.

He played for India in the 2007 T20I World Cup, the 2013 ICC (International Cricket Council) Champions Trophy, and the 2024 T20I World Cup.

EARLY LIFE

Rohit Sharma was born on April 30, 1987, in Bansod, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. His mother, Purnima Sharma, hails from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. His father Gurunath Sharma was a caretaker at a transport firm's storehouse.

Sharma was raised by his grandparents and uncles in Borivali due to his father's limited salary. He would only visit his parents, who resided in a single-room house in Dombivli, on weekends. He has a younger brother named Vishal Sharma. His mother tongue is Telugu.

In 1999, Sharma attended a cricket camp funded by his uncle. Dinesh Lad, his camp coach, suggested that he change schools to Swami Vivekanand International School, where Lad was the coach and the cricket facilities were superior to those at Sharma's previous school.

Sharma recalls, "I told him I couldn't afford it, but he helped me get a scholarship. So I didn't pay a thing for four years and excelled at cricket."

Sharma began as an off-spinner who could bat occasionally before Lad discovered his batting talent and promoted him from number eight to open the innings. He dominated the Harris and Giles Shield school cricket championships, getting a century on debut as an opener.

PERSONAL LIFE

On December 13, 2015, Sharma married his longtime girlfriend Ritika Sajdeh, whom he met in 2008. They have one kid, a girl named Samaira, born on December 30, 2018. Sharma practices the meditation technique known as Sahaj Marg.

He follows an eggetarian diet.      

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE CAREER

Rohit Sharma began playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 after agreeing to a US$750,000 annual contract with the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers franchise. He was purchased by the Mumbai Indians for US$2 million at the 2011 auction.

In the 2012 competition, he hit 109 runs (not out) against the Kolkata Knight Riders to record his first IPL century. Although it was in a losing cause, he achieved his second IPL century in the 2024 season against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings with 105 (not out) off 63 balls—his first century in twelve years.

Under his leadership, Mumbai won the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, as well as the previous Champions League Twenty20 in 2013. Sharma has been one of the most successful players in the IPL, captaining the Mumbai Indians since 2013 and leading them to five IPL titles.

He is one of seven players to have 5,000 career runs in the competition.

Sharma has 6472 runs, including two centuries and 42 half centuries, and is the fourth best run scorer behind Virat Kohli (7,582), Shikhar Dhawan (6,769), and David Warner (6,563). In 2024, Sharma was removed as captain in favor of Hardik Pandya, their new acquisition.

This generated widespread outrage among fans, with many dissatisfied that Sharma was not reinstated as captain.        

INTERNATIONAL CAREER

In an ODI match held in Belfast in June 2007, Sharma's international career began with a catch; he was unable to bat or bowl. Later that year, at the first T20I World Cup, he made his T20I debut against England in the group stage.

Once more, in a match that was made famous by Yuvraj Singh's six sixes in an over, he was only able to take one catch rather than bat or bowl. Against South Africa in the quarterfinals, Sharma was named Player of the Match. His rapid thirty was the second-highest score for India. He was also a member of the side that won the T20I World Cup final.

Sharma recorded his first ODI half-century in November 2007 and went on to score well in India's 2007-08 ODI series in Australia. He hit two ODI hundreds in 2010, but then lost form and fitness, and he was omitted from the final 2011 ODI World Cup winning team. His loss of form lasted several years, and he was in and out of the team.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain, promoted Sharma to opener in 2013, and he has excelled in that position. His partnership with Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order has resulted in excellent outcomes for India.

He got his first ODI double century against Australia that same year, followed by a second against Sri Lanka in 2014. The latter score of 264 is still an ODI record for greatest individual scoring. In 2013, during Sachin Tendulkar's final series, Sharma made his Test debut in Kolkata against the West Indies, scoring 177.

However, he was unable to retain his place in the Test team for several years due to a string of bad performances in international Test matches.

Sharma scored a T20I century against South Africa in Dharamshala, India, in 2015, becoming only the second Indian to do it in all three international formats.

In 2017, he hit a T20I century against Sri Lanka in Indore in just 35 balls, matching David Miller's record for the fastest T20I century. He also made his ODI World Cup debut that year, scoring a century as India advanced to the semifinals.

Sharma was named captain of the Indian ODI team in a series against Sri Lanka in 2017 after Virat Kohli, the team's captain at the moment, was rested. He led India to victory and recorded his third ODI double century.

Sharma was in excellent form during India's run to the quarterfinals of the 2019 ODI World Cup. He scored five centuries, the most in a single World Cup, and dominated the run charts.

In addition, he served as vice captain during the tournament. Sharma also made his Test debut as an opening batsman this year, scoring two hundreds against South Africa.

Sharma was named vice captain of the Test team for the 2020 series in Australia, and he scored crucial runs in a series that India won. He scored heavily in the 2021 twin series versus England. In February 2022, he was named captain of the Indian team in all three formats.

Rohit led the Indian team to a complete sweep in the league phase of the 2023 ODI World Cup, setting a new record for the most hundreds and sixes in the tournament's history. India eventually lost the final to Australia, and Sharma took a hiatus from limited-overs cricket.

In 2024, Sharma scored three half-centuries while leading India to their second T20I World Cup victory. In a press conference shortly after India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in the final match, he declared his retirement from the Twenty20 International format.

ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2015, the Indian government gave Sharma the Arjuna Award, India's second highest athletic accolade. In 2020, he received India's highest athletic distinction, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (now known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award).                                                                                                            

Sharma was named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2019 and was a member of the ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year in 2014, as well as every year from 2016 to 2019. He also featured in the ICC Men's Test Team of the Year in 2021, primarily for his performance during India's Test tour of England that year.

For similar accomplishments, the Wisden Cricketer's Almanack named him one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in its 2022 edition.

FAQ

Q. What are the interesting facts about Rohit Sharma ?

A. Sharma's hitting skill has earned him the nickname "Hitman" among his supporters. He also occasionally bowls off-spin. Sharma is the only player to have scored three double hundreds in one-day international cricket; no other player has scored even two.

Q. What is the greatness of Rohit Sharma ?

A. Five centuries are the most by any batsman in T20Is; 4231 runs are the most by any batter in T20Is; 205 sixes are the most by any batter in T20Is; and 50 wins as a captain are the most by any skipper in the globe. Rohit Sharma was approaching the pinnacle of greatness.

Q. How many centuries has Rohit Sharma scored ?

A. Rohit Sharma is an Indian cricketer who has played for the national team since 2007. As of March 2024, he had 48 hundreds in international cricket, including 31 in One Day Internationals (ODIs), 12 in Tests, and 5 in Twenty20 Internationals.

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