Rohit Sharma‘s reputation as the scourge of the bowlers is well known. Even though he is not exactly in the pink of form in the current stage of his career, his past exploits and his ability and quality to bounce back to form at any given game is enough for the bowlers to still keep on their toes and give him the respect he deserves.
Another reason why the current Indian captain is well known is a rather interesting one. While his batting does not need any introduction, it is his jersey number that sets him apart from the others. Rohit Sharma and 45 are inseparable. His shirt is one of the largest selling in the country, behind perhaps only Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar in all-time records. However, the biggest question that still rings in the minds of the fans across the country still remains as to why did Sharma choose 45 as his shirt number.
There was an ad for popular fantasy app Dream 11 where Rohit Sharma narrated that he wore the number 45 from the time he was a young boy dreaming of making it to the national side someday. However, it is not true. In stark contrast to the ad, 45 was not actually his favourite number. His favourite number was actually 9.
So when Rohit was selected for the U19 world cup in 2006, he was all set to finally claim the number for himself. But to his disappointment, that number was already claimed by another player. So he went back dejected to his mother and narrated the entire incident to her, also taking suggestions from her about which number he could take which was a 2-digit number. And sure enough, his mother suggested the number 45, because the sum of both the numbers equals 9.
And there it was, the reason why Rohit Sharma wears 45 to this day. It has bought him a lot of respect, fame and admiration across the world. Here’s hoping it continues to bring such good fortune in the future as well.
