Former India opener Virender Sehwag has taken a subtle, indirect dig at former skipper MS Dhoni for not picking Rohit Sharma for the 2011 World Cup.
It is now well-known that Rohit Sharma was omitted by the then captain MS Dhoni and selectors for the 2011 World Cup squad a dozen years ago. At that time, Rohit Sharma had remained inconsistent at the start of his career, and Dhoni thought picking a leg-spinner in Piyush Chawla was a better choice.
Sehwag said that if he was the skipper or selector then, he would have definitely opted for Rohit Sharma.
“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 on Cricbuzz.
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. You can only select 15 players for a World Cup and at that point, Yusuf Pathan had a couple of crucial innings just before the tournament that is, what maybe worked in his favor and Rohit Sharma had to be left out.”
That omission certainly motivated him: Rohit had posted a tweet about being upset with himself for not being selected in 2011 WC. His career changed when Dhoni promoted him to open in the 2013 Champions Trophy and the rest is history.
If Rohit Sharma settles at the crease for a long time, he will not spare you: Sehwag
From being omitted from the 2011 World Cup squad to now being the record holder for most hundreds in ODI World Cup history, Rohit has come a long way.
He smashed a sizzling century against Afghanistan in Delhi, which is his 7th century in the ODI World Cup, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 6 ODI centuries.
“Rohit Sharma gave a clear message with his innings that score big hundreds even today he scored 30 more runs after getting to his hundred has already scored three double centuries. So it gives the opposition a clear message that if he settles at the crease for a long time, he will not spare you. He mathematically missed the double century even today,” Sehwag added.
