4 times Rohit Sharma played a prank on his teammate ft. IND vs BAN 2024
Indian Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma is celebrated for his vibrant personality, which was on full display during Day 2 of the first Test in the two-match series against Bangladesh on Friday, September 20, at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The Indian opener was seen playing a prank on Shubman Gill, playfully tapping him on the jaw, which prompted laughter from Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. In the video, Rohit could be seen chatting with Gill when he unexpectedly delivered the playful hit mid-conversation.
Here’s the video of the moment:
Meanwhile, centuries from Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant enabled India to set a target of 515 runs for Bangladesh. We look at a few instances of Rohit Sharma pulling pranks on his teammates.
#1 Rohit Sharma blowing flying kiss to Mayank Agarwal
During the third match of the Indian Premier League 2024 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), KKR pacer Harshit Rana gave SRH batter Mayank Agarwal a send-off with a flying kiss.
Later in the tournament, when SRH played against the Mumbai Indians in the eighth match, the Indian Test and ODI captain attempted to pull a funny prank on Agarwal during a training session by mimicking a flying kiss.
#2 Dodging Rishabh Pant as he tried to offer the cake
Before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the first batch of Indian players departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, but not without sharing some laughs before their flight.
Captain Rohit Sharma was spotted playfully joking with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. When Pant offered Rohit a slice of cake, and the Indian captain dodged it in an exaggeratedly funny manner.
The captain was also heard saying:
“Jeetne ke bad khayenge,” [Will eat after winning the WC].
India made history by defeating South Africa by seven runs in the final, clinching their second T20 World Cup title, and ending an 11-year ICC trophy drought.
#3 When Rohit played a prank on Pragyan Ojha in 2006 in Kenya
In a conversation with Vikram Sathaye on his YouTube channel “What The Duck with Vikram Sathaye,” Rohit shared a story from their India A tour in Kenya in 2006. While staying at a beach resort, he and Rajesh Panwar, went jet skiing, and Pragyan Ojha also insisted on using the same jet ski. Rohit recalled:
"He (Pragyan) was very excited and called me because he wanted to use my jet ski. I suggested he take another one but he insisted on using mine. The instructor was explaining how to handle the jet ski, and since it was Ojha’s first time, he was so excited that he didn’t listen carefully."
"His partner was Yo Mahesh. When Pragyan accelerated the jet ski, he fortunately avoided hitting any swimmers. However, while waving at me, he accidentally crashed into a boat, which caught fire in a small incident. Pragyan was on the verge of tears when the jet ski owner informed him that he would have to pay penalties or face jail time," he continued.
The team's coach, Lalchand, also joined in on their prank, and Rohit further added:
"We (Rohit and the other teammates) instructed the instructor that we would pay the penalty but he needed to scare Pragyan and pressure him by saying he would be put in jail. Pragyan became very frightened. Chandu sir was our coach at the time, and we had informed him and asked him to play along. He even said, "Pragyan, you need to pack your bags; we are sending you home. This behavior is not acceptable."'
The Indian opener revealed to his victim that it was a prank about half an hour later. However, Pragyan didn’t speak to anyone for two days things returned to normal after that.
#4 When the Mumbai cricketer removed Kuldeep Yadav from a dance video
Spin duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav featured on “Breakfast with Champions” with Gaurav Kapur in 2023. During the conversation, they recounted a prank that Chahal and Rohit Sharma played on Kuldeep while they were in New Zealand in 2019.
The trio intended to film a short TikTok video, and knowing that Kuldeep wasn’t the best dancer, he practiced the choreography diligently. However, when it was time to record, he was unexpectedly excluded. Kuldeep said:
"We (Kuldeep, Chahal, Rohit) were planning for a dance video on TikTok and we rehearsed hard for it. It was our choreography and our hard work and they removed me from the final video. I was so serious about it because it seemed way out of my league."
Chahal added:
"If you would have looked at his performance, you would have understood why we removed him."
Kuldeep was omitted from the playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh.