'I could see this kid was something special' - Scott Styris recalls first-ever meeting with Rohit Sharma

Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris revealed his first encounter with young Rohit Sharma during the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. Styris, an experienced international cricketer, found himself sharing the same dressing room as the then 19-year-old Rohit at the Deccan Chargers franchise. Styris revealed that he saw something special in Rohit right from the beginning.

The New Zealander's assessment has proven remarkably accurate as Rohit has become one of cricket's most formidable batters and leaders. After his stint with the Deccan Chargers, Rohit moved to the Mumbai Indians in 2011, where he truly came into his own.

Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians secured a record five IPL titles, cementing Rohit's reputation as a tactically genius leader. Styris' recent encounter with Rohit was in Sri Lanka, where he was commentating during India-Sri Lanka series.

“It (IPL 2008) was my first opportunity to be a teammate and see (and hear of ) Rohit Sharma. He was with us at the Deccan Chargers. He was 19 or 20 years old at that time and I could see then that this kid was something special. I’ve just come back from Sri Lanka where I commentated on India vs Sri Lanka, caught up with him there and he’s still the same guy that he was 16 years ago,” said Styris to cricket.com.

Rohit's success has not been limited to the IPL as he has gone on to lead the Indian national team in ODI and Test formats. His recent decision to step down from T20I cricket after leading India in the T20 World Cup 2024 marks the end of an era.

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The very first year we were favorites to win the IPL: Scott Styris

Meanwhile, the 49-year-old also spoke about Deccan Chargers' inaugural squad. He mentioned in the 2008 edition they had the best team on paper but lacked balance. He said that the team was confused about who to pick in the XI which cost them the tournament, resulting in them finishing in the last spot. 

“The very first year we were favorites to win it and we came last. Part of that was because we didn’t have a great balance. We had great names on paper but you’re only allowed to play four overseas players. We’d either load up the batting and the bowling would be weak, or we’d load up the bowling and the batting would be weak.

When we tried to load it up with all-rounders, we were a little bit bits and pieces and weren’t quite strong enough in any of them and ended up coming last,” he concluded.