By the end of February 2020, the world had only begun to comprehend the full magnitude of the Covid virus’s wrath. As a result, we hadn’t stopped traveling in India, and masks hadn’t yet entered our lives. India existed before Corona.
Rohit Sharma was still able to roam around his Bengaluru hotel, posing for photographs with admirers, and there was a semblance of sanity in the air. He wouldn’t have to disinfect his hands after every handshake, and hugs were the rule rather than the exception. But there was something odd about all of this normalcy.
When I saw Rohit for a talk near the end of his recovery at the NCA on February 25, 2020, I noticed a certain amount of restlessness in him. Rohit had injured his hamstring in New Zealand and was forced to return to India midway through the trip, missing the two Test matches he had been looking forward to.
It was the first time we’d seen Rohit since that disastrous day in Manchester in July of this year, and it was expected that the topic would eventually turn to the World Cup.
“The five hundred really don’t mean much anymore”, Rohit said in a very matter-of-fact manner.
2019 World Cup
He was in red-hot form on the white-ball portion of the tour, having scored five hundred in the 2019 World Cup. The most by any batsman in tournament history, just a few months prior. It was extremely sad that I was wounded yet again while in such good shape. Rohit Sharma’s
“Personally it was a great achievement but when you are playing a team sport it is never about personal milestones. When I reached home after the World Cup and everyone was congratulating me for the hundreds. I can very honestly tell you I did not feel any elation. The real prize was in the England dressing room. It was difficult to accept that we had not made the final”, lamented Rohit.
Rohit was muttering something to himself as he was being mic’d up for the interview. He grinned and added, “World cup jeetna hai.” He appeared a little distracted, and I was a little nervous. This is one of the obsessions that we must satisfy.”
Starting on Sunday, he’ll get another shot. And based on the evidence, he appears to be set. Rohit was in magnificent form against Australia, and when it comes to the big stage, he usually pushes himself even harder.
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