By the time the IPL 2008 had started, Rohit Sharma had been identified as one of India’s future stars, with oodles of talent overflowing in his batting. His Team India career can be roughly divided into two halves, the pre-2013 phase, when he was one of the many middle-order prospects, to an ODI giant post that, when he found a new wind at the top of the order.
He has been a standout performer for the MI franchise, part of their twin wins in 2013 and 2015.
Here’s how he has evolved in the last ten years:
2008 - Hits jackpot in the first auctions
As a 21-year old in April 2008, the recently capped Rohit Sharma was one of the most exciting talents to look forward to in the IPL. He first represented the Deccan Chargers, before being bought by the Mumbai Indians in the fresh auctions of 2011.
2009 - Thriving under Gilchrist
For Rohit, it wasn’t one of his most impressive seasons with the bat, but the team managed to reverse their first-year ignominy and seal the title. They were helped along by some luck, with Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals losing key games that gave the Chargers a pathway into the semi-finals.
2010 - A star in the making
With extended runs in the Indian team helping his cause, Rohit started to settle in the IPL as well. He was slated for his Test debut in 2010, but an untimely injury on the eve of the match postponed his first game.
In his final season for the Deccan Chargers, Rohit notched up three fifties and scored more than 400 runs. After three losses, the team’s progress to the playoffs was in doubt, but they won the next five matches to reach the semifinals.
2011 - Beginning of the change
Rohit was purchased for $2 million in the fresh auction, and became a central character in the resurgence of the Mumbai franchise as one of the strongest teams in the tournament. He scored three fifties, including a career-best 87, and played the sheet anchor’s role amongst his more adventurous counterparts in the batting line-up.
2012 - Emergence of the IPL star
Hours before the first game of the season, Sachin Tendulkar stepped down from the captaincy, handling the mantle to Harbhajan Singh. In a way, it made Rohit a more prominent member of the team, with Tendulkar’s absence enabling him to step up and be counted.
Against the Kolkata Knight Riders, eventual champions of the edition, Rohit compiled his first, and only IPL hundred, joining an elite list of cricketers to have scored a ton in the tournament till then. The change from one franchise to another seemed to be seamless, and Rohit started to be identified as a central character in the Mumbai line-up.
2013 - The turning point of his career
The year was a breakthrough one for Rohit, catapulting him from a talented youngster to a modern bigwig. Ricky Ponting moved away from the captaincy, giving Rohit Sharma the full right over the team. The team won four and lost as many in the first leg of the tournament, before effecting a stunning turnaround with six wins and eventually won the title.
He was in red-hot form with the bat, scoring 538 runs with four fifties to his credit.
2014 - The almost year
They were high hopes on the Mumbai Indians, as well as Rohit, to repeat their last year heroics, especially with the franchise featuring a solid line-up with set players. They lost five matches in the UAE leg, before staging a remarkable turnaround, even chasing down a 190-run target in 15 overs, but lost the eliminator to the Chennai Super Kings.
2015 - Leading from the front
A stream of youngsters perfectly complemented the old warhorses, as the Mumbai Indians motored to their second IPL title after faltering badly in the first half of the tournament. They won nine out of their last games, riding on the likes of the Pandya brothers, Jasprit Bumrah and Lendl Simmons to cap one of the biggest turnarounds in the tournament.
Rohit himself had another big year, scoring close to 500 runs, even missing out on his second IPL ton by a whisker.
2016 - The failure of the defence
As was the case in 2014, the year after their 2015 IPL triumph wasn’t as expected, and the team had a mixed season, finishing fifth in the table and failing to qualify for the playoffs.
They did not manage to clinch the crucial games, with only two batsmen, Rohit being one of them, crossing the 300 run barrier. Their composition was badly hurt due to injuries, and a loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, where they were bowled out under 100, was a stingy defeat for them.
Rohit relied on his usual suspects, but the likes of Harbhajan Singh were off colour and couldn’t deliver the goods.
2017 - History in the making?
Back from a long injury lay-off, Rohit has eased back into the game, but still hasn’t played a single-handed match-winning knock from his side. The team has been the one to look to beat, winning almost everything on their way to the top of the points table.
He has three fifties under his name in the group stages, but can he inspire his side to go the full way this time, and become the first captain to win three IPL titles?
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