"Rohit Sharma delivered milk packets so that he could buy his kit" - Pragyan Ojha opens up on struggles endured by the Indian captain
Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha recently opened up about the hardships endured by Rohit Sharma during his initial days while rising up the ranks. Narrating a small anecdote, he said that the Indian captain delivered milk packets to raise money to be able to afford to buy a cricket kit at that juncture.
Ojha and Rohit have been longtime friends who have played together since their under-15 days. Apart from representing Team India together, the duo also played for the Deccan Chargers and the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
They went on to win the IPL 2009 with the Deccan Chargers. Pragyan Ojha was also a part of the Mumbai Indians side that won the IPL 2013 and 2015 under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, Pragyan Ojha reminisced about his long-standing friendship with Rohit. He also talked about his initial struggles, saying:
"Rohit Sharma was from a middle-class family. I remember he once got emotional when we were discussing about how his budget for cricket kits was restricted.
"He also delivered milk packets at that time so that he could buy his cricket kit. Now when I see him, I feel very proud of how our journey started and where we reached."
Sharing the details of their initial face-off during their under-15 cricket days, Ojha continued:
"When I first met Rohit Sharma at the Under-15 national team camp, everyone said he was a very special player. I played against him there and also took his wicket.
"Rohit being a typical Bombay guy did not speak much but was aggressive when he played the game. I was actually very surprised as to why he was being so aggressive with me when we didn't know each other! But after that, our friendship began to grow."
Pragyan Ojha speaks about Rohit Sharma’s journey 🏏🫡
#CricketTwitter #india #ipl https://t.co/wU41rnpH22
"Rohit Sharma made me understand how we can approach T20 matches" - Pragyan Ojha
Pragyan Ojha also said that he spotted leadership qualities in Rohit way back in 2008 when they were playing together in the inaugural IPL.
He said that the current Indian captain offered him a point of view on strategies in the T20 format, which was relatively new when the IPL commenced.
Ojha said:
"When T20 cricket was alien to a lot of people in 2008, we were playing for Deccan Chargers in IPL. At that time, Rohit Sharma made me understand how we can approach T20 matches, and that even in T20 format one can become an aggressive bowler and pick wickets in the middle overs.
"From there on, I understood how he was thinking as a leader and how he tried to stay a step ahead of the rest."
Rohit Sharma went on to become the most successful captain in the IPL by leading the Mumbai Indians side to a record five titles. He also became the all-format captain of Team India last year.