Veteran Indian skipper Rohit Sharma suffered a heartbreak after being left out of India’s 2011 World Cup squad. Under the leadership of legendary cricketer MS Dhoni, India lifted the famous trophy for the second time in the history of limited-overs cricket. Since then, Team India has only made it to the semi-final stage of the ICC World Cup in the 50-over format.
Overlooked by selectors for the 2011 World Cup, Rohit is now leading the Men In Blue in the 2023 edition of the showpiece event. India last won the ODI World Cup when the Asian giants were the hosts of the ICC event in 2011. Leading India from the front in its second match of the ICC World Cup, Rohit slammed a quick-fire century to seal a comfortable win for the Virat Kohli-starrer side at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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‘I would have surely picked him for 2011 World Cup’
Speaking to Cricbuzz about India’s impressive win over Afghanistan in Delhi on Wednesday, legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag said that he would have surely named Rohit in India’s 2011 World Cup squad if he was a part of the Indian think tank at the time. “If I had been the captain or a selector, I would have surely picked him for the 2011 World Cup. But at that time he was not the Rohit Sharma that he is right now. He was a bit young and at the end of the day, it is the decision of the captain and selectors as to the team balance that they want,” Sehwag said.
‘Maybe that snub motivated him’
Rohit featured in the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Indian squad at the ODI World Cup. The 36-year-old was also the leading run-getter in the 2019 World Cup. Smashing his first century of the 2023 World Cup in the national capital, Rohit shattered Sachin Tendulkar’s impressive record at the showpiece event. Rohit has notched up the most ODI centuries (7) in the history of the World Cup.
The Indian skipper also became the biggest six-hitter in international cricket during India’s second game of the World Cup. Rohit has smoked 556 sixes – the most by any batter in the international arena. “Maybe that snub motivated him to become more consistent and he realized that he had to score so many runs that he would never miss a World Cup again,” Sehwag added.
