Friends forever: Rohit through the lens of Yuvraj

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador Yuvraj Singh backed Rohit Sharma to lead India at the upcoming tournament in the USA and West Indies.

Few players have watched Rohit's journey from a youngster touted as the next big thing to a bonafide legend of Indian cricket as closely as Yuvraj has.

Having spent time together in the dressing room and witnessing Rohit's extraordinary performances, Yuvraj has observed firsthand the dedication, skill and resilience that have propelled the destructive batter to the pinnacle of Indian cricket.

Now at the helm in his role as captain, Rohit shoulders the responsibility of leading India to break a trophy drought that stretches back to the 2011 Men's Cricket World Cup.

It has been a case of so near yet so far for India over the last few years in the Men's ICC events and as their quest for major ICC trophies continues, the team under his leadership has consistently showcased its potential on the global stage. 

After falling short in key moments, including heartbreaking losses in the semi-final of the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the finals of the ICC World Test Championship 2023 and Cricket World Cup 2023, the attention turns to the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup.

When asked about Rohit's significance in the upcoming tournament, Yuvraj expressed his unequivocal support for the Hitman to continue leading the side.

"(Rohit's presence is going to be) very crucial. I think we need a really good captain, a sensible captain who takes decisions well under pressure. And he's the one to take them," T20 World Cup 2024 ambassador Yuvraj said.

"He was the captain when we lost in the (Cricket World Cup) 50-over final (in 2023). He has won five IPL trophies as a captain. I think we need somebody like him to captain India."

The bond between Yuvraj and Rohit traces back to the Mumbaikaar's early days in the Indian setup. It's widely known that Yuvraj was one of Rohit's close friends within the team.

In fact, Yuvraj was part of the squad when Rohit made his debut for India. It was during the fall of Yuvraj's wicket that the young Hitman stepped onto the international cricket scene to bat, making his first appearance against Ireland back in 2007.

Their connection came full circle in 2019 when Yuvraj's final season as an active cricketer came under Rohit's captaincy at the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Following that tournament, Yuvraj announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2019.

Speaking from a personal perspective, Yuvraj recalled his initial impression of Rohit, who joined the Indian team at the tender age of 17 and showered praise on the Indian captain, emphasising his humility, camaraderie and leadership qualities both on and off the field.

"Very poor English," Yuvraj said jokingly. "Very funny guy. From the streets of Borivali (in Mumbai), we always tease him. But a great guy at heart.

"The more success he's had, he has never changed as a person. That's the beauty of Rohit Sharma. Fun-loving, always having fun with the guys, A great leader on the park and one of my closest friends from cricket.

"I really want to see Rohit Sharma with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup medal. He really deserves it."

India squad for T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan