Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, revealed that when he first spotted the future star at age 12, he primarily trained him as a bowler.
Rohit Sharma: From Promising Bowler to Record-Breaking Batter
Rohit Sharma, now celebrated as one of India’s most prolific batters and holder of the highest individual ODI score of 264, began his cricket journey with a very different focus. As a youngster, Rohit was primarily a bowler. His childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, recalls first spotting Rohit bowling at age 12 and training him extensively in that role.
“I first saw him as a bowler when he was about 12,” Lad said in a podcast with Gaurav Mangalani. “I made him bowl during practice, and he played under-14 and under-16 teams primarily as a bowler.”
Rohit even claimed an IPL hat-trick while playing for Deccan Chargers, making him the only player in IPL history to score a century and take a hat-trick in the same tournament. Early in his international career, he contributed occasional wickets across formats, but as his batting prowess emerged, his bowling gradually took a backseat.
Lad admitted he initially overlooked Rohit’s batting potential. “One day, I saw a boy batting with a straight and solid technique; it was Rohit. I gave him some batting practice then, which I now realize should have come earlier.”
From aspiring bowler to one of cricket’s most feared openers, Rohit Sharma’s journey is truly remarkable.
“I felt Rohit Sharma had a very good talent for batting”
Lad further revealed that Rohit’s breakthrough with the bat came during a crucial innings where he scored 40 runs batting at number seven, which prompted his promotion in the batting order. Recognizing his potential, Lad advised Rohit to shift his focus towards batting, a decision that ultimately transformed his career.
“He batted well in that match, scoring a very good 40 runs, though we lost the game. After the Harris Shield, during the Giles Shield practice, I started giving him batting practice at second and third positions in the nets,” Lad recalled. “The way he was batting, it became clear he had real talent. I told him to concentrate more on his batting, but also to keep bowling.”
This pivotal advice set Rohit on the path to becoming one of India’s greatest batting talents, as his aggressive and elegant stroke play soon became his trademark.