Rohit Sharma delivered milk packets to buy cricket kit, Pragyan Ojha reveals emotional chat with India captain

Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha has recalled the time when Rohit Sharma delivered milk packets to buy his cricket kit.

Rohit's journey from a very humble background to becoming big at the international level is widely known and is inspiring.

Ojha and Rohit, who knew each other right from their age-group cricket days, went on to play for Deccan Chargers in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 before the latter joined Mumbai Indians (MI). The two cricketers became teammates at MI too and were a part of the Mumbai side that won the IPL in 2013 and 2015. The duo also played 24 matches for India, including two Tests, together and have been great friends off the field since.

'Very proud of our journey'

The former leg-spinner also revealed that when he first met Rohit at an Under-15 national camp, there was chatter about the batter's talent.

"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.

"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.

Rohit, who was first regarded as a prodigy, made his India debut in early 2007. He took things to the next level as he produced impressive performances at the T20 World cup in 2007, which India won. It was his maiden major tournament at the highest level, where he scored 88 runs in four games, including an important half-century in India's 37-run against South Africa. In the final, Rohit scored an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls.

While he struggled to seal a place in India's One-Day International (ODI) team, his career took a leap when he began to open the innings in the 50-over format. Rohit has gone on to score 9,825 runs, including 30 centuries in the ODI format, apart from being a crucial T20I batter as well and over the last couple of years, he has also cemented his place in the Tests, becoming the captain is just cherry on the cake.

'Rohit is a good mimic,' reveals Ojha

Ojha also stated that 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," Ojha, who is a member of the IPL governing council, added.

Rohit took over as India's full-time captain across all formats of the game in 2022 and led India at an ICC tournament for the first time in the T20 World Cup last year in Australia. Rohit, who is the most successful IPL captain with five victories with Mumbai Indians, is set to lead India in the ODI World Cup at home later this year.