In 2007, world cricket witnessed the very first T20 World Cup held in South Africa. A lot has changed in the sport since then, including the game itself and how players approach it. And few have seen the best of both worlds. India captain Rohit Sharma is one of the four players who were part of the inaugural World Cup 15 years ago. India scripted a winning campaign that year under the leadership of then captain MS Dhoni, which subsequently marked the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket.
Ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup, Rohit, who hopes to emulate the former India captain in his campaign in Australia this year, recalled being part of the victorious Indian side and how T20 as a whole has changed over the years. The 20-year-old Rohit Sharma made his T20 World Cup debut against England but did not get a chance to bat. Rohit was the middle order batter for India then. He scored an unbeaten half-century in 40 balls in his second match against hosts South Africa and later scored an unbeaten 30 off just 16 balls in the final against Pakistan.
Over the course of his illustrious career, Rohit has since played 142 T20Is for India. With 3737 runs and 32 fifty-plus scores, Rohit has been India’s full-time captain since the last World Cup in the UAE. On Friday, recalling his very first T20 World Cup experience, he revealed that he knew very little about the format and had no idea what it was like to be part of a World Cup team until India lifted the trophy.
“When I was picked for the World Cup, I didn’t go in with any expectations,” Rohit said in Melbourne. “I wanted to enjoy the tournament and play because it was my first ever World Cup. I didn’t understand what it was like to be a part of the World Cup and how big it was going to be until we actually won it.” World Cup.”
Rohit, who will be playing his eighth T20 World Cup this time and will be among the four players including teammate Dinesh Karthik who were part of the inaugural T20 World Cup this year as well, then spoke about how the game has changed over time. 15 years. “It’s been a long journey and the game has evolved so much,” reflected Rohit. “You can literally see how it’s played now compared to what it was in 2007. 140 or 150 was a good score back then and now people are trying to get that score in 14 or 15 overs.”
