"You do not know whether you will get a seat" - Rohit Sharma reflects on his struggles that made him a 'tough' character
Team India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma recently reflected on the struggles that he faced as he tried to build a cricket career. He recalled the early days of his journey, which involved a lot of traveling in Mumbai, with him being unsure of whether he would even get a seat.
Coming from a humble background, Rohit has gone on to establish himself as one of the biggest superstars of cricket. As a batter, he is the only player with three ODI double tons. Earlier this year, the 37-year-old recently led the Men in Blue to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
During an interview on Jitendra Chouksey's podcast, Rohit went down memory lane and recalled the hard yards he put in at the start of his cricketing journey. The seasoned batter admitted that while the struggles took a toll on him, they also played a big role in making him the tough character he is today. He said (as quoted by ANI):
"The sport has got so many demands, be it travelling, learning the skills, fitness, training. In Mumbai, if you want to be a cricketer, you want to travel--2 hours of travelling by train, 5 to 6 hours of playing, then travelling back--you do not know whether you will get a seat. It did take a toll on me physically and mentally. But I enjoyed that, and that hard-yards made me tough--that is what made me today and help to make tough decisions these days."
One of India's most experienced cricketers, Rohit has played 485 matches for the team across the three formats, scoring 19,245 runs at an average of 43.15, with the aid of 48 hundreds and 106 half-centuries.
"Building friends are with who I played for fun" - Rohit
Looking back at his cricketing journey, the star batter revealed that he started playing the game when he was nine years old. Rohit, though, stated that back then he played the sport for fun and never imagined what destiny had in store for him.
"We played in our building, in the society. There is a shortage of space in Bombay. You just have to manage with whatever you have. I started playing with all my friends, school friends at times. Building friends are with who I played for fun. I never knew it would become like this. When I was nine years old, I started. 28-29 years have gone by with me playing cricket," the opener batter said.
Rohit is currently leading India in the two-match home series against Bangladesh. The hosts are 1-0 up in the Test series, having won the first match at Chepauk in Chennai by 280 runs.