Rohit Sharma’s “boy next door” demeanour distinguishes him from his peers. You would forget that Rohit Sharma is one of the best batters in the world and the current captain of the Indian cricket team, carrying the weight of a billion dreams on his shoulders, after just one minute of his sincere conversation. That may be one of the main reasons he has so many fans all over the world. The boundaries are irrelevant. Rohit Sharma can be yours with just a big smile and a few cordial words, just like a childhood friend. The same thing happened to the supporters in Dubai.
When Rohit and the rest of the Indian cricket team were battling it out inside the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai prior to their Asia Cup 2022 opener against Pakistan, a group of spectators, primarily from Pakistan, gathered just outside the restricted area. Near the boundary lines, Soham Desai, India’s physical conditioning coach, and Rohit were keeping an eye on the activity.
The supporters began to applaud for Rohit. One of them even continued, “We Pakistanis know where Rohit Sharma is, but the Indian fans don’t.” Rohit laughed as he turned around.
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Rohit was repeatedly urged by the crowd to approach the temporary safe area. The Indian captain initially resisted the fan’s request but eventually complied. “Rohit bhai, India has my complete support. The fan yelled, “I will support India, now I will end up crying,” in Hindi.
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Then Rohit leaped the fence and approached them. A fan who was standing on the other side of the metal bars asked for a hug. In the midst of thunderous applause, Rohit complied by extending his arms in an imagined hug.
“We appreciate his conversation with us. We travelled a great distance to see him, one of the supporters said.
When India won the Asia Cup in the UAE four years ago, Rohit served as captain as they defeated Bangladesh in a hard-fought final. It was played in a fifty-over format the first time, but this time it will be a series of Twenty20 Internationals, which will be the ideal lead-up to the World Cup two months later in Australia.
Rohit will be hoping to put the disappointments of last year’s defeat to Pakistan at the same venue in the T20 World Cup behind him and get their Asia Cup campaign off to a flying start on Sunday. Rohit is likely to open the batting with KL Rahul in the Asia Cup.
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