Different Strokes: Rohit Sharma Talks About Playing For Fun And Breaking Window Panes

Of late Rohit Sharma has been in the news for many reasons – notable being not in good nick in the IPL matches for Mumbai Indians, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) naming Level 3 in the Vithal  Divecha Pavilion at the Wankhede Stadium in his honour and naming him the Ambassador  of the Mumbai Premier League Season 3. Clearly the five- time IPL winner MI would like him to contribute with weighty performances in order to improve the team’s chances of making the playoffs, but everyone at the MCA was delighted with his presence at the launch of the MPLT20 league. In the course of a fireside chat Sharma — appearing down to earth —  talked about the encouragement received from the MCA, breaking window panes in his neighbourhood, not intentionally but while playing cricket for fun, offered Rs 5 or 10 to play for different buildings in his colony, waiting at the Wankhede in the early years of the New Millennium to catch sight of players like Amol Muzumdar, Wasim Jaffer, Nilesh Kulkarni and others. One of the most elegant batters to emerge from the Mumbai Maidans, Sharma impressed upon Mumbai’s legacy and history citing its 42 Ranji Trophy title wins and pointed out the importance of the MPLT20 in shaping the careers of the budding talents in the city. He was touched by the MCA’s call to name a section of the guest stand after him. “It will be a very emotional moment when I see my name on the stand. When you start playing, you don’t think about such things to happen,” said the India captain who won the Twenty20 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy.