Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma go way back. Both were part of India's T20 World Cup-winning squad of 2007. While Yuvraj Singh was at the peak of his career at the time, Rohit Sharma was just starting out. What followed was a great bond. Rohit always revered Yuvraj. He even narrated an interesting incident on the Kapil Sharma show. “When I first came to the side, I got on the team bus and unfortunately sat in his seat. That became a problem. I didn't know players had their favorite seats. So Yuvi dad, being Yuvi dad, just made made eye contact with me and gestured for me to move. RP Singh was sitting behind me and he explained that it was Yuvraj's seat. I thought I had missed the name on the seat,” Rohit recalled with a smile. He loved to scare people. He loved to scar us,” he added, leaving the audience divided.
Yuvraj has witnessed Rohit's journey since the 37-year-old made his debut for the Indian team as a teenager in 2007. Recalling his first impression of the flamboyant opener, Yuvraj quipped, “Very bad English.”
“A very funny guy. From the streets of Borivali (in Mumbai) we always tease him. But at heart he is a great guy,” he told ICC.
Yuvraj's last season as an active cricketer came under Rohit's captaincy at MI. “The more success he has had, the more he has changed as a person. That's the great thing about Rohit Sharma. He likes fun, always having fun with the boys. A great leader on the park and one of my best friends on the field of cricket,” Yuvraj said. “I really want to see Rohit Sharma with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup medal. He really deserves it.”
Yuvraj Singh wants to see his 'good friend' win the elusive T20 World Cup next month.
Besides reaching the final of the 50-over World Cup and the WTC Final last year, India led Rohit to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
The opener will once again lead the 'Men in Blue' at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the US, starting on June 2.
“(Rohit's presence will) be very crucial. I think we need a very good captain, a sensible captain who takes decisions under pressure. And he is the one who takes them,” said 2024 T20 World Cup ambassador Yuvraj ., ICC said.
The final 2023 World Cup defeat to Australia saw India's quest for an ICC title last a decade, with their last win dating back to the Champions Trophy in 2013 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Yuvraj feels India needs someone with Rohit's expertise to lead the Indian team in the big event.
“He was the captain when we lost in the (Cricket World Cup) 50-over final (in 2023). He has won five IPL trophies as captain. I think we need someone like him to lead India.”
With PTI inputs
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