Rohit Sharma posts India badge again, captions it 'forever grateful' a month after Test retirement: What 23/06/07 means

More than a month after he announced his retirement from Test cricket, Rohit Sharma posted another Instagram story about cricket, this time to express gratitude. Rohit posted a picture of his helmet with the BCCI badge and the Indian tri-colour, captioning it 'Forever grateful', followed by the date: 23/06/07. The date marks Rohit's India debut all the way back in 2007, thus confirming that the Hitman completes 18 years of international cricket today. Rohit was just a 19-year-old when he made his India debut in an ODI against Ireland. Almost two decades later, he is one of India's most successful captains, having led the team to two ICC trophies in less than a year. Rohit Sharma will continue to play ODIs for India(AFP)

Rohit's India debut was a quiet affair as he did not get a chance to bat, and when he did three days later against South Africa, Rohit was dismissed for 8. It wasn't until September that year that Rohit arrived on the scene. Yuvraj Singh's 6 sixes off Stuart Broad did not allow Rohit to bat. Hence, the next day, as India took on South Africa, Rohit belted an unbeaten half-century, thus getting his India career up and running. Today, having retired from T20Is and Tests, Rohit is likely to channel all his focus and energy on the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is two years and four months away.

Rohit's career of two halves

Rohit's career can be divided into two halves. First, between 2007 and 2012, where his potential mostly remained underutilised, and the other, from 2013 to now, when he emerged as one of the world's most explosive and destructive batters. Promoted as opener by MS Dhoni at the 2013 Champions Trophy, Rohit's batting career took off, as along with Shikhar Dhawan, India found their opening pair in ODIs and T20Is for the next nine years. Together, Rohit and Dhawan became India's second most successful opening pair in ODIs after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, amassing 5148 runs including 18 century partnerships. In 2019, Rohit's batting hit a new peak when he became the first batter to smash five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup. Soon after, he was conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.

Captaincy and ending India's ICC trophy drought

Rohit was appointed India ODI and T20I captain in November 2021, soon after Rahul Dravid was named head coach. His start was slow – India failed to progress to the semifinals of the Asia Cup and received a 10-wicket hammering at the hands of England in the T20 World Cup in Australia. However, the crushing loss ignited a spark in Rohit, who led a change not only in his batting but in the overall approach of the team. The Indian team became a lot more aggressive and intent-filled. When the 2023 World Cup arrived in India, Rohit batted like a man possessed, playing quickfire knocks at the top of the order. India went on a 10-match winning streak, but unfortunately, lost to Australia in the final.

Seven months later, Rohit finally ended India's wait for an ICC trophy when he led the team to a T20 World Cup win, beating South Africa in the final and in the process, remaining unbeaten in the tournament. Rohit's Test figures, which had improved dramatically since he began opening in September of 2019, started to dip, but that did not have any implication in his ODI run. Rohit made it two out of two ICC titles, when India lifted the Champions Trophy in March, with Rohit becoming the only India captain after MS Dhoni to achieve the landmark.

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