Rohit Sharma’s origin story: From Borivali to Team India’s Hitman

Rohit’s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, traces back the progress of a stunning career that could easily frustrate.

When Rohit Sharma left for England four years ago as Virat Kohli’s deputy for India’s ODI World Cup campaign, his childhood coach and mentor, Dinesh Lad, expressed the same sentiments as most of Rohit’s fans. “The World Cup means the world to him. When he missed out in 2011, it ended up being the turning point of his career. Now, I hope that he returns with the trophy in his hand.”

Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, was privy to his ward’s transformation from a promising talent to a batting colossus. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Fast forward to 2023, and Rohit has achieved remarkable success. He did return with a trophy in 2019 but being adjudged the Player of the Tournament could only be a consolation for missing out on the ultimate prize.

Rohit is now the joint-most successful captain in the Indian Premier League. He is also one of the most feared openers in white-ball cricket and has managed to establish himself as a dependable Test opener. In 2020, he was conferred with the Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour in India. The guru’s efforts were also acknowledged. Lad, who has also coached Shardul Thakur, was presented with the Dronacharya Award.

Carrying the burden of expectations has always come naturally to Rohit. When he was 12, his father and five siblings pooled resources and borrowed money from friends to send him to a cricket camp in Borivali. At the time, Rohit was living with his grandparents and uncle Ravi.

Lad — who was coaching at the camp — was impressed with Rohit’s off-spin and convinced Ravi to enrol him at Swami Vivekanand International School. He also managed to get his fees waived. Rohit quickly became the focus of the school management and the local cricket community’s expectations, which he met by winning games with his off-spin.

Rohit Sharma — sitting third from right — with his teammates after National Cricket Academy won the MRF Trophy in 2005 in Bangalore. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY

One day, when Lad was late for a net session, he saw Rohit shadow-practising his batting strokes. This is when Lad realised that Rohit could bat as well.

“It is often said that kids from financially humble families do not flourish as cricketers. I can tell you that if you have the talent and the willingness to work hard and are lucky, your financial background doesn’t matter at all. Rohit Sharma is a glaring example of it,” says Lad.

After being impressed by Rohit’s talent, Lad, a protégé of the legendary Ramakant Achrekar and a former player for Western Railway, tried to convince his friends in Mumbai to “notice kids beyond Bandra.”

Rohit faced initial setbacks when omitted from the Under-16 selection trial, but a stroke of luck intervened when the BCCI changed the age categories to U-15 and U-17, granting him an extra year. His talent shone through, earning him the title of Player of the Tournament during Mumbai’s selection trials.

Lad played a crucial role, assisting Rohit and his family in finding a home in his building. Additionally, the keen eye of Vasoo Paranjape, known for spotting exceptional talent, ensured Rohit’s progress. Paranjape’s influence secured Rohit’s place not only in the U-17 squad, but also in the playing XI. Paranjape compelled Pravin Amre, the chief junior selector at the time, to watch Rohit bat in a local match. By 2004, Rohit was already touted as Mumbai’s rising star.

Soon after seeing Rohit’s potential, Amre, an influential figure in Air India’s cricket set-up, secured a cricket scholarship for Rohit, even before he was selected for the U-19 World Cup in 2006. Lad had by then stopped discussing Rohit’s dismissals. “A good coach always must realise that when a talent knows his or her game well, he must let go of him. Don’t keep coaching all the time. Instead, you have to wait for the player to come to you with a query,” says Lad.

“If he doesn’t, it means the player has matured or sometimes feels the childhood coach cannot add to his skills. That’s fine, so after he passed his 10th, seldom did I discuss his cricket with Rohit. We would constantly discuss the game, but hardly his game.”

Fresh face: Rohit Sharma celebrates India’s victory in the semifinal of the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Championship against Australia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

After Rohit made his international debut in Belfast [Ireland vs. India, June 23, 2007], he felt left out as the youngest member of India’s T20 World Cup squad in South Africa the same year. Although Lad’s role had changed from coach to mentor by now, that didn’t stop Rohit from calling Lad. “’ Sir, pak gaya hoon (I’m bored, sir)‘,” he said. Lad sensed that a lack of game time had started getting to Rohit. “All I told him was to learn from the seniors and enjoy whatever he was doing. Then Yuvraj Singh missed the South Africa game due to an injury. Rohit got an opportunity to bat, and he made the most of it with a fifty,” says Lad, before reiterating. “Again, talent and luck!” 

Upon Team India’s return from a historic trip, Rohit and his teammates were swarmed by thousands of fans during an open-top bus parade from Mumbai airport to Wankhede Stadium, where MS Dhoni’s men were felicitated for winning the inaugural World T20.

A little over a week from that day, Rohit returned home and told Lad that he was hungry. “I knew what he was referring to. Non-vegetarian food could not be cooked at his home back then, so he would come to our place. He couldn’t resist half-fried eggs that I cooked,” Lad says. “You won’t believe it. That night, Rohit, his brother, my son Siddhesh, and another boy—four of them—gulped more than 60 eggs. I was tired of cooking, but it was worth it.” Rohit has retained his craving for eggs and street food.

As Rohit embarks on his most cherished dream, Lad hopes for an encore. “It will be difficult for him to get another chance. But I know he believes in himself. And I believe in him and destiny, so let’s hope he does the same in Ahmedabad as Dhoni did at Wankhede in 2011,” he says.