5 times Rohit Sharma lost his cool on the cricket field
Rohit Sharma is generally regarded as one of the calmest cricketers around. The Mumbai batter had his share of success as captain of the Mumbai Indians before being appointed captain of the Indian Cricket Team.
Needless to say, most of the focus shifted to the 35-year-old after he was appointed as the national skipper and replaced Virat Kohli.
After winning titles with the Mumbai Indians, Rohit was expected to bring the same success to the national side, but it hasn't quite worked out that way so far.
The captain is known to speak his mind, be it on the field or with the media. Sometimes, in the heat of the battle on the field, he is also spotted losing his cool on a few occasions.
On that note, we take a look at five instances where Rohit Sharma lost his cool on the cricket field.
#1 Rohit's altercation with Steve Smith
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2014-15 was dominated by Australia. With the hosts in control during the Test match in Adelaide, Virat Kohli turned to Rohit for some part-time spin to try something out of the box.
After a general LBW appeal, Rohit was inquiring about the decision with the umpire before Smith murmured something that irked the Indian players. In response, Rohit turned to the Australian and asked, "What? WHAT?", before things got heated.
Kohli, too, had a few words with Smith and asked him to "stay within his limits." The situation quickly cooled off but did add some fire to the series, which still burns bright.
#2 After Arshdeep Singh dropped a catch
Rohit’s reaction when Arshdeep dropped the catch 💀 https://t.co/5BwEUKvnmu
In the showdown clash between India and Pakistan at the 2022 Asia Cup, emotions got the better of the Indian captain in the heat of the battle.
In a tight contest where Pakistan were chasing a target of 182, Asif Ali and Mohammad Nawaz were threatening to take the game away from India when Ravi Bishnoi came into the attack.
The leg-spinner nearly delivered the big breakthrough in that over, outfoxing Ali to produce a false shot that ballooned to Arshdeep Singh at short third man.
However, the young Indian pacer squandered the opportunity, which eventually cost India the game.
Instead of putting an arm around the shoulder to reassure his player, Rohit lost his cool and let the emotions get the better of him.
The outburst was caught on camera and didn't really go down well with certain fans, who didn't appreciate the captain's reaction.
#3 "Bhaag kyu nahi raha hai" - Rohit Sharma to Yuzvendra Chahal
In the ODI series between India and West Indies in February this year, Yuzvendra Chahal was on the receiving end of some stick from his skipper.
Disappointed by the fielding efforts from his leg spinner, Rohit lashed out at him, shouting:
“Kya hua tereko? Bhaag kyun nahi raha hai theek se? Chal udhar bhaag (What happened to you? Why aren’t you running properly? Go and field there).
Some fans found that moment hilarious, with the captain not holding back to discipline his players.
Meanwhile, some thought the situation could have been handled better with Chahal already low on confidence.
#4 Kicking the ball away in frustration
Rohit Sharma is absolutely furious.
Kicks the ball in anger after Bhuvneshwar Kumar drops it.
India gain nothing of it but instead results in an extra run 😕
#INDvWI
India had a fairly comfortable outing against the West Indies in the white-ball series earlier this year.
In the second T20I, the Men in Maroon were on track to chase a target of 187, courtesy of a 100-run stand between Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell.
In the 16th over of the contest, Bhuvneshwar Kumar nearly delivered a key breakthrough for his side when Powell miscued a straight chance back to the bowler.
However, the medium pacer couldn't hold onto it, much to the frustration of his captain, who kicked the ball away in frustration.
The dropped catch eventually did not cost India, but the captain made his feelings about India's fielding standards known in the post-match comments.
#5 Lashing out on KL Rahul and Washington Sundar
🤡Rohit Sharma abused KL Rahul 😯🤡
#BANvIND
https://t.co/ZvZtl5SAh0
In the recent ODI series loss to Bangladesh, there were more than a few instances when the Indian captain lost his cool.
The notable instance came in the first ODI, when KL Rahul dropped Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the 43rd over.
The captain wasn't pleased with the efforts of his deputy and made sure he got the message across on the field.
Even Washington Sundar heard a handful from the captain when he seemingly bailed out of an attempt to catch at third man.
The fielding effort eventually cost the Men in Blue the match, and they also went on to lose the ODI series.