Rohit Sharma is carrying a heavy load into his first ICC match as the full-time captain of the Indian cricket team. The T20 World Cup in 2022 would be a task of unparalleled proportions for The Hitman, who has excelled as captain in the Indian Premier League and other competitions. Even though this is Rohit’s first World Cup as captain, the ace batter has already won a T20 World Cup. In 2007, he was a member of MS Dhoni’s team that won the T20 World Champions title. For the 2007 ICC World T20, the competition’s inaugural edition, which India went on to win under Dhoni’s leadership, Rohit had been selected. However, Rohit didn’t have high expectations for the circumstance at hand and was only interested in having fun on the largest stage.
“When I was picked for that World Cup I did not go with any expectations about myself,” Rohit said in Melbourne while on Saturday while sitting with 15 other captains who are in Australia for the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup. “I just wanted to enjoy the tournament and play the tournament as it was my first ever World Cup. I had no understanding of what it was like to be part of a World Cup and how big it was going to be until we actually won the World Cup,” he added.
During the conversation, Rohit also discussed how the T20 format has changed over time. “It has been a long journey and the game has evolved so much,” Rohit reflected. You can literally see how it is played now compared to what it was like in 2007. 140 or 150 was a good score back then and now people try and get that score in 14 or 15 overs.” Team India participated in the T20 World Cup last year under Virat Kohli, and they were eliminated right out of the gate. The goal is to once again reach the finish line with Rohit at the helm.
