Rohit Sharma birthday special: Is the Hitman ready to finish his unfinished 2023 mission in 2027?

April 30, 1987, is forever regarded as a memorable day in the history of Indian cricket. It was on this very day that the "Hitman"—Rohit Sharma—was born; the man who, under his captaincy, led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He is a player against whom, perhaps, no fellow cricketer has ever uttered a word of criticism. He is a captain who, after leading India to a World Cup triumph, kissed the soil of the Barbados pitch and planted the nation's flag. Today, April 30, 2026, Rohit Sharma is celebrating his 39th birthday, and fans from across the nation are pouring in a continuous stream of birthday wishes for him.

Rohit was born in Nagpur and raised in Borivali, Maharashtra. He was interested in cricket since childhood, but he also had to face financial problems. However, at the age of 12, Rohit first joined a cricket camp, where his uncle's friend, Dinesh Lad, noticed Rohit's cricketing talent. But he was impressed not by Rohit's batting but by his bowling. Knowing that Sharma's uncle would not be able to pay the fees of the school where Lad was coaching, Lad convinced the school's director to accept Sharma as a student and waive his entire fees, so that he could get good training facilities. Sharma started his cricket career as a spinner, but gradually he started focusing on batting as well. 

Initial phase struggle

Rohit made his debut in domestic cricket in the year 2006. That same year, Rohit also got a place in the Indian team for the Under-19 World Cup. In the tournament, Rohit scored 205 runs in 6 matches, which included 3 half-centuries. After that, Rohit got a chance to debut in India A, and exactly a year later, Rohit made his international debut in the Belfast ODI against Ireland. Although Rohit did not get to bat in that match, he took a brilliant catch of Niel'O Brien. After that, Rohit made his T20I debut in the Super-8 match against England in the World T20 2007. This was the same match in which Yuvraj Singh hit 6 consecutive sixes in Stuart Broad's over. In this match, Rohit did not get a chance to bat or bowl, and he missed a catch. However, Rohit did not have to wait for long to show his abilities, and in the very next two-or-die game against South Africa, Team India's top order failed, and Rohit got a chance to bat. He scored a fifty in that match, securing Team India a place in the semi-finals. Rohit also played a key role in India's title victory by scoring 30 runs in the tournament final.

From regret to becoming Hitman

Subsequently, Rohit played a pivotal role in several of India's historic victories. Rohit faced a major setback in his career when he was left out of the squad for the 2011 World Cup. He recounts that this moment marked one of the most difficult phases of his life. During this period, Rohit Sharma was constantly in and out of the team. However, during the 2013 Champions Trophy, the world witnessed a brand-new version of Rohit—Rohit Sharma, the opener. His opening partnership with Shikhar Dhawan proved to be a resounding success, and India went on to win the 2013 Champions Trophy title under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. It was after becoming an opener that Rohit Sharma's true rise as a batsman began. In a series played that very year, he scored his maiden ODI double century (209) against Australia. After that innings, he got a new name, “The Hitman.” Following this, Rohit went on to score two more ODI double centuries—264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 and 208 against Sri Lanka in 2017—thereby becoming the first batsman in history to register three ODI scores of 200 or more. Two years later, during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, he scored five centuries in a single WC edition. With this, he became the first batsman to achieve this remarkable feat. 

Rohit Sharma: The captain

Towards the end of 2021, following Virat Kohli's decision to step down as captain, the reins of Team India were handed over to Rohit Sharma. Under his captaincy, India won the 2023 Asia Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Additionally, the team reached the finals of both the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) and the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

An Unfinished Business

After winning the 2024 T20 WC as captain on June 29, he said goodbye to the shortest format of the game. The following year, he also retired from the longest format on June 7, 2025.  He is now only active in ODIs, carrying one ambition in his mind to win the ODI World Cup 2027. To achieve this, he has been continuously working on himself. Recently, he surprised everyone by shedding over 10 kilograms. However, the selectors and management have begun to look towards the future. The captaincy of the ODI team was taken away from him, and Shubman Gill was appointed as the new captain.

IPL Journey

Rohit Sharma is currently occupied with the IPL 2026 season. Under his captaincy, MI has won the IPL title five times and stands as one of the two most successful teams in the tournament. In Mumbai, his fans called him “Mumbai cha Raja”. Even many Indian cricket fans called him “India cha raja”. It remains to be seen whether Rohit will be able to realise his dream of winning the World Cup in 2027, or if this dream of his will remain unfulfilled forever.

Rohit Sharma’s international stats

Rohit Sharma has 4,301 runs to his name across 116 innings in 67 Test matches, a tally that includes one double century, 12 centuries, and 18 half-centuries. In T20Is, he has scored 4,231 runs across 152 innings in 159 matches, maintaining an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89; this includes 5 centuries and 32 half-centuries. The format he has dominated the most is ODIs. In this format, Rohit has played 282 matches so far. He has amassed 11,577 runs in 274 innings at an average of 48.84 and a strike rate of 92.74, comprising 33 centuries and 61 half-centuries.