Why didn't Rohit Sharma play the 2011 World Cup?

April 2, 2021, marks the 10th anniversary of Team India's win in the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Chasing a target of 275, India defeated Sri Lanka by 6-wickets and 10 balls to spare to win the ODI World Cup for the second time in the history of the game.

While the Indian team comprised the perfect balance of young and experienced players, a key name that was missing from the squad was Rohit Sharma. The swashbuckling Indian opener is currently the 2nd ranked ODI batsman in the world and was also a key member of India's 2007 T20I World Cup triumph.

However, despite being supremely talented, Rohit Sharma was not part of the Team India squad that went on to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

"Not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad, that was the saddest moment in my career as it was happening in our own backyard, the final was played at my home ground," Rohit Sharma had revealed during a chat with Kevin Pietersen.

🔹 Mahela Jayawardene’s brilliant century🔹 Gautam Gambhir’s crucial 97🔹 MS Dhoni’s flourish to end the gameA thrilling final in our #CWC11Rewind Watch the highlights 🎥

— #CWC11Rewind (@cricketworldcup) April 2, 2021

Why was Rohit Sharma dropped for the 2011 World Cup?

Rohit Sharma has now become an invaluable member of the Indian squad

Prior to the World Cup, Rohit Sharma suffered an injury in 2009 and was forced out of action for 5-6 weeks. Subsequently, he only played 7 innings for the country in the calendar year and failed to impress with a poor average of 25.5.

During an informal conversation with former English batsman Kevin Pietersen, Rohit Sharma revealed that he has no one but himself to blame for his omission from the 2011 World Cup squad."It was due to my performances, I was not at my best," he said.

Rohit Sharma's poor form continued in 2010 where scored 586 runs in the 14 games he played for Team India, averaging a mere 38.8. He was eventually ignored for the 2011 Cricket World Cup squad due to a string of poor ODI performances over the previous couple of years.

Rohit Sharma as of today, however, is a completely different player. He currently plays a key role for Team India and is the side's vice-captain across all three formats. His record as an opener has been impeccable over the last few years.

Rohit Sharma also represented India as an important member in the 2015 and 2019 editions of the Cricket World Cup.

The rampant opener will next be seen in action during IPL 2021 where he will lead the 5-time champions Mumbai Indians.

💙🔥 @ImRo45 pic.twitter.com/TMuVytfueE

— Mumbai Indians TN (@MumbaiIndiansTN) April 1, 2021