There was a touch of destiny in the air in the capital this week, as former Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri by President Droupadi Murmu during the Padma Awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The timing of the investiture was of great personal significance, as the 39-year-old took to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) to react to the honour: “23rd June bringing all kinds of magic. Nineteen years ago, it began with an India cap. Today, another proud chapter is added to the story”.
It was on 23rd June 2007 that Rohit made his international debut for India, in an ODI against Ireland in Belfast. While he did not bat or bowl in that match (he was slated to play at number 7), he did take a memorable catch, sprinting from extra cover to mid off to dismiss Niall O’Brien. Three days later, against South Africa, he would come in at number 7 to score his first international runs, making 8 off 9 balls before being bowled by Jacques Kallis.
Indeed, those two matches would prove to be a sign of things to come. Rohit the fielder went on to establish himself as one of the finest in the game, especially in the slips cordon. But Rohit, the batter, was far more of an enigma. The top-order often-opener from Mumbai plied his trade in the lower order for years, before the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup marked a first time opening the innings for the national team.
Rohit Sharma still going strong in ODIs
A brief stint as opener during the 2011 tour of South Africa produced lean returns, but in 2013, Rohit seized his opportunity against England. Across his first 16 innings at the top of the order, he averaged 41.42 and scored six half-centuries. He never looked back, forming an era-defining opening combination with Shikhar Dhawan and earning the moniker of ‘Hitman’ through his rampaging scoring displays. He owns the record for most ODI double-centuries – three – where no player has ever scored more than one. Over his 19-year career, he blasted 11,720 runs in 285 ODIs and 4,231 runs across 159 T20Is, reigning as India’s highest run-scorer in the latter format.
But it was Rohit the captain who truly completed the legacy of Rohit the player. Boasting a glittering IPL record of six IPL titles — five as captain of Mumbai Indians, and one with Deccan Chargers — that made him the joint-most successful captain in the IPL, Rohit was deputy to Virat Kohli before succeeding him as all-format captain of the national team in 2022. He brought that same success to the international stage; after falling agonisingly short in the 2023 ODI World Cup, he remedied that heartbreak by leading India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024, ending a 13-year wait for ICC silverware, and then the Champions Trophy in 2025.
Just last week, he became the oldest Indian to have ever played an ODI, scoring a blistering 79 off 69 balls against Afghanistan in Chennai. Padma Shri awardee Rohit Sharma is far from done at the highest level.
