For Rohit, the pain of 2023 sits with heartbreak of 2011

India’s loss to Oz in the final dashed the skipper’s hopes of an ODI Cup triumph, not having featured in the 2011 triumphant run

- Aditya Chaturvedi

Laidback. That’s one of the words which described Rohit Sharma best through the course of his career. You’d struggle to name another player who looked as chilled as him on the field. With his batting so easy on the eye, it seemed he was reckless, not making the most of his talent (another word synonymous with his name). He wore success and failure lightly, and in terms of emotion, the classic Rohit expression is where he squints, puffs his cheeks, and at times lets fly a few words, when a teammate is sloppy on the field.

But this past Sunday, more than 16 years after his international debut, we got to see a side of Rohit we’d never seen before. As the Australian players celebrated, the fireworks went off and the stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium started to empty, he rushed off the field in a daze, head bowed. You could see how hard he was trying to hold back the tears. In the dressing room, when the prime minister entered with his entourage and reminded the players the country was watching, he looked dejected, his eyes were swollen. Somehow, he mustered a smile.