Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha spoke about his friendship with current India captain Rohit Sharma and explained in detail the struggle the Mumbai batter went through during his initial days to arrange money for his cricket kit.
Ojha and Rohit knew each other right from their age-group cricket days and went on to play for India, Deccan Chargers in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2008), and then for Mumbai Indians as well.
Pragyan Ojha said Rohit Sharma got emotional when he discussed his background and the struggle for buying kits during his early days. He also said that the duo first met at a U-15 national camp.
"When I first met Rohit in the U-15 national camp, everyone said he was a very special player. There, I played against him and took his wicket. Rohit was a typical Bombay guy who didn’t speak much but was aggressive when he played. In fact, I was very surprised as to why he was being so aggressive with me when we didn’t know each other! But after that our friendship began to grow,” Ojha recalled in an interview to Jio Cinema.
Ojha also revealed that Rohit came from a middle-class background and delivered milk packets to arrange money to buy his cricket kit.
“He was from a middle-class family and I remember he once got emotional when we discussed how his budget for cricket kits was restricted. In fact, he also delivered milk packets – of course that was really a long time ago – so that he could buy his kit. Now when I see him, I feel very proud of how our journey started and where we reached,” added Ojha.
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Rohit Sharma made his India debut in white-ball cricket as early as 2007 after having been regarded as a prodigy. And then made a huge splash in Test cricket in 2013, scoring two centuries in his first two Test matches against West Indies.
Ojha said Rohit's ability to keep the mood in the dressing room light made him a likable character and recalled how the Mumbai star played pranks on his teammates.
"Till the time Rohit got a chance to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy we had just known each other. But our friendship grew when we came to a common point. He was a good mimic and I really like people who can play pranks, and Rohit is among them. We used to feel the pressure of representing India at the U-19 level. So, whenever he saw that I was feeling the heat, he would mimic something that would release the tension and there was laughter all around," he added.
Rohit Sharma has captained Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and will lead the Indian team in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 later this year.
(JioCinema inputs)
