Rohit Sharma's Presence Floors Oppositions In VHT: 'To Just Be In His Shadow...'

Rohit Sharma’s return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) after six years is much bigger than him getting a chance to stay in competitive touch and push his case for the 2027. For instance, the captain of his first opposition, Sikkim’s Leeyong Lepcha, said on the eve of the game that it was a ‘huge opportunity’ for the team’s youngsters to even ‘be in Rohit’s shadow’, let alone compete with the legend.

Rohit will play only two matches in the VHT, against Sikkim and Uttarakhand, both made up of players for whom even the dream of winning the trophy is a step too far. But even a few minutes of conversations or observations of the multi-ICC trophy-winner’s habits could be revolutionary for their careers.

“It is not every day that we get the opportunity

to go up against a player of Rohit Sharma’s stature,” Leeyong told the media in Jaipur, as quoted by the Indian Express. “It is huge for us to compete against him and just be in his shadow, just be around him. If we can go back home and share this experience, it will definitely help more youngsters take up the sport.”

“We want to ask him about his mindset as a player who has played at the highest level for so long, won so many things. We want to ask him about the pull shot! He’s the best, nobody can play it like him,” he added.

Rohit will be captained by his good friend Shardul Thakur, who believes that his teammates will benefit as much from the 38-year-old’s presence.

“Rohit has always been a guiding force for youngsters. We have seen that in the Indian team as well, where he gets a lot of praise from youngsters and fellow teammates… I can already see that he is continuing with that job,” Thakur said ahead of the match.

Rohit is said to be aiming for the 2027 World Cup. His journey is likely to inspire more people than he might have imagined.