Rohit Sharma has done it all in cricket, broken records, won trophies, and now received one of India’s highest civilian honours. On June 23, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Shri upon Rohit Sharma at a special Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. It was a proud moment that brought together two decades of hard work, dedication, and some of the most memorable innings ever played in Indian cricket.
But here is the part that many people do not know: the man who went on to become one of India’s greatest batters almost never picked up the bat seriously at all.
He Started as a Spinner, Not a Batter
Long before Rohit Sharma was smashing sixes across the world, he was bowling off-spin at a cricket camp in Mumbai. In 1999, when he was just 12 years old, Rohit joined a cricket camp with help from his uncle. His coach, Dinesh Lad, spotted him first as a spinner, not as a batter.
For a while, that was all Rohit was known for at the camp. Coach Dinesh Lad has openly spoken about how he saw Rohit only as an off-spinner in those early days. However, one day, Lad happened to watch Rohit bat during a school match, and what he saw completely changed the plan.
Rohit himself once recalled this on a popular talk show: “Arre bhaiya, maine apna career as an off-spinner start kiya tha. Main kabhi batsman tha hi nahin. Mujhe mere coach ne bola koshish karo aur mujhe opener bana dia.”
That one conversation changed everything. Coach Lad gave Rohit a chance to open the batting, and the young boy from Dombivli, Mumbai, never looked back. He trained hard, improved quickly, and eventually earned a spot in the Mumbai Under-17 and Under-19 teams. The spinner had become a batter, and not just any batter. One of the best India has ever produced.
The Long Road to International Cricket
Rohit made his international debut for India in 2007, and it was in the T20 format. India went on to win that very first ICC T20 World Cup, and Rohit was part of the squad. It was a special beginning for a young player who had worked his way up through the tough Mumbai domestic cricket system.
However, his early international career was not without struggles. For several years, Rohit played middle-order cricket in ODIs without being able to nail down a consistent role. He had talent, everyone could see that. But the results were not always there.
Then came the big change in 2013.
India’s then-captain MS Dhoni decided to open the batting with Rohit Sharma in the Champions Trophy. The move worked beautifully. Rohit scored freely at the top of the order, and India went on to win the Champions Trophy. From that point on, Rohit became a regular ODI opener, and that is where his career truly took flight.
The Record-Breaking ODI Batter
Once Rohit moved to the top of the order in ODIs, he started producing performances that had never been seen before. In November 2013, playing against Australia in Bangalore, he scored 209 runs, his first ODI double century. The cricketing world sat up and took notice.
But Rohit was not done. In 2014, he scored 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, the highest individual score in the history of ODI cricket. That record still stands today. And then in 2017, he scored yet another double century in the same format. He is the only batter in history to hit three double centuries in ODI cricket.
Beyond double centuries, Rohit also holds the record for scoring the most centuries in a single edition of the ODI World Cup, he hit five hundreds at the 2019 ICC World Cup in England. He also holds the record for hitting the most sixes in ODI cricket.
These are not just numbers. These are achievements that changed how people thought about what a batter could do in 50-over cricket.
A Champion in All Three Formats
While ODI cricket brought Rohit his biggest records, he was also a key player in Test and T20 cricket.
In Test matches, Rohit was initially used as a middle-order batter. After moving to the opening slot in Tests in 2019, he became one of India’s most reliable top-order batters. His highest Test score is 212, and he has scored 12 centuries in the longest format.
In T20 Internationals, Rohit played 159 matches and scored 4,231 runs at a strike rate of over 140. He is one of only a handful of players to score a T20I century as captain for India.
Most importantly, Rohit led India to their biggest white-ball triumphs. Under his captaincy, India won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC title. He captained the team with calmness and clear thinking, helping India beat South Africa in the final in Barbados.
Rohit Sharma’s Career Stats at a Glance
Here is a clear look at what Rohit Sharma has achieved across all formats, including the IPL.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | Centuries | Fifties |
| Tests | 67 | 4,302 | 212 | 40.58 | 57.07 | 12 | 18 |
| ODIs | 285 | 11,720 | 264 | 48.83 | 92.97 | 33 | 62 |
| T20Is | 159 | 4,231 | 121* | 32.05 | 140.89 | 5 | 32 |
| IPL | 257 | 6,628 | 109 | 29.72 | 131.14 | 2 | 46 |
These numbers tell a story of a player who scored heavily across all formats, at all levels, for nearly two decades.
The IPL Chapter: Mumbai Indians’ Most Loyal Captain
Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians (MI) are practically inseparable. Since joining the franchise in the early years of the Indian Premier League, Rohit became the face of the team and eventually its full-time captain.
Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians won the IPL title five times, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, making them the most successful franchise in IPL history. Rohit’s batting in the IPL was often match-winning, but it was his ability to lead a team under pressure, manage players, and build a winning culture that truly stood out.
In 257 IPL matches, Rohit has scored 6,628 runs with a strike rate of 131.14. He has 46 half-centuries and 2 centuries in the tournament, making him one of the top run-scorers in IPL history.
His IPL captaincy record is arguably the greatest in the history of the tournament. No other captain has won the title as many times as Rohit has, and his calm approach to the game made him a respected leader both in the dressing room and among the cricketing community.
The Man Behind the Numbers
Rohit Sharma has always been more than just his statistics. He grew up in a modest household in Dombivli, a suburb of Mumbai. His parents had limited financial resources, and as a young boy, Rohit would travel long distances every day to attend cricket training. His father worked as a caretaker at a transport company storehouse, and the family’s financial situation meant that Rohit often stayed with his grandparents and uncle during his training years.
Despite those challenges, Rohit kept going. He kept practicing. He kept turning up at the cricket ground every single day, even on days when nothing seemed to be working.
What makes his journey truly special is the simple fact that he was not even a batter when he started. He was taught the game as a spinner, and it was only because his coach spotted something different in him that his life changed. That decision, to give a young spinner a chance to open the batting, is one of the most important moments in the history of Indian cricket.
The Padma Shri: A National Recognition Well Earned
The Padma Shri is India’s fourth-highest civilian award, given for outstanding service in various fields including sports. For Rohit Sharma, this honour is the latest in a long list of achievements. His name was officially announced among the Padma Shri awardees on Republic Day in January 2026, and the formal ceremony took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 23, 2026.
President Droupadi Murmu personally conferred the award on Rohit, in recognition of his contributions to Indian cricket. He was one of eight sportspersons honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026, alongside India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur, women’s hockey goalkeeper Savita Punia, para-athlete Praveen Kumar, and others.
Rohit also received the honour alongside tennis great Vijay Amritraj, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan, a higher category, in the same ceremony.
For a boy who once picked up a cricket ball to bowl off-spin at a summer camp in Mumbai, reaching Rashtrapati Bhavan as a Padma Shri awardee is a journey that is hard to put into words.
A Career Built on Hard Work and Consistency
Rohit Sharma’s story is not just about records and trophies. It is about sticking with something long enough to become truly great at it. He did not have the easiest start. He was not picked as a batter right away. He had to fight for his spot in the Indian team for years. And even after making it to the top, he kept working hard to stay there.
Across Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and the IPL, Rohit has scored more than 26,000 runs in professional cricket combined. He has hit sixes all around the world. He has won ICC trophies as a player and as a captain. He has broken records that many thought would never be broken.
And through all of it, from that first cricket camp in 1999 to Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2026, the off-spinner from Dombivli never stopped being the hardworking, dedicated cricketer that his coach first believed in all those years ago.
The post Rohit Sharma Wins Padma Shri: The Full Story of India’s ‘Hitman’, From Off-Spinner to Cricket Legend appeared first on Sportzcraazy.
from Cricket News & Updates | Today Cricket Rankings | Latest Match Schedule https://ift.tt/YXvaJNq
via IFTTT
0 Comments