'Not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad was the saddest moment' - Rohit Sharma recalls lowest point of his career

The coronavirus threat has restricted all kinds of sporting events throughout the globe. Players have been forced to stay indoors due to the COVID-19 threat. However, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen decided to take this time and utilise it in the best way possible. On Thursday, the cricketer-turned commentator invited Indian batsman Rohit Sharma for an interview. The two conducted a live chat session on Instagram for the fans to witness.

During this interview, Rohit talked about the lowest point in his career and what brought about a change in his career. During the interview, he credited the time with former Australian captain Ricky Ponting as “magic”. He also talked about the possibility of the IPL 2020. According to Rohit, if things get settled down after a while, then the IPL 2020 can be conducted.

Rohit Sharma terms his time with Ricky Ponting as “Magic”

Sharma’s captaincy record in the IPL is second to none. He has won four titles (2013,2015,2017 and 2019). He was handed over the captaincy of the franchise in 2013. The season had started with Ponting being the skipper. However, a string of poor performance led Ponting to hand over the reins to Rohit.

As it turned out, it was a turning point in the history of the franchise. Rohit called the time he spent with Ponting as “Magic” as it helped him transform his career.

Pietersen then asked the Indian vice-captain about the lowest point of his career. Rohit pointed out the disappointment of not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad as the lowest point of his career.

“Not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad, that was the saddest moment as it was happening in our own backyard, the final was played at my home ground,” Rohit said. India went on to win the trophy at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011.

The Mumbaikar also said that it was due to his string of poor performances that he wasn’t selected in the world cup squad. “It was due to my performances, I was not at my best,” the 32-year-old said.

His career has grown from strength to strength since the 2011 world cup. Rohit went on to represent India at the 2015 and 2019 editions. Currently, he also holds the record for the most centuries in the history of the tournament. He has as many as six centuries in World Cups, five of which came during the 2019 edition. Interestingly, this record is also held by Sachin Tendulkar, who also has six World Cup centuries.