'Hitman' Rohit: Big-hitting leader of India's cricket quest

He came, he saw and he conquered. Rohit Sharma rose from humble beginnings to captain a high-profile Indian cricket team to World Cup glory and bid goodbye to T20 internationals. Rohit, 37, lifted the

- Gift of timing -

Rohit took over the captaincy of the white-ball team in 2021 and a year later became the all-format leader in the cricket-crazy nation's quest for a global title.

Dhoni led India to their last World Cup victory in 2011 at home and then a Champions Trophy title two years later before the team faltered twice in the semi-finals of the 50-over showpiece -- 2015 and 2019.

Kohli's inability to lead India to a title began to weigh heavily both with the pundits and with Kohli whose form began to slide.

With record IPL titles under his captaincy belt, Rohit was the chosen one to step in.

Nothing in life came easy for Rohit as he studied on a scholarship after his family was unable to afford the $3.30 monthly fees.

He overcame all odds to become India's limited-overs star and the only batsman to have scored three double-centuries in one-day internationals.

Rohit, who is often criticised for his visible paunch in contrast to Kohli's chiselled frame, has amassed 10,709 runs at an average of over 49 in 262 ODIs for India since his debut in 2007.

His boyhood cricket coach Dinesh Lad, in an interview with AFP last year, said that if his student were to lift the World Cup in Ahmedabad he would be the "richest person in the world".

Little did Lad realise the riches would come a year later.