Top five unknown facts about Rohit Sharma

Fondly known as the Hitman in cricketing circles, Rohit Sharma dazzled the cricketing world with his batting prowess for the better part of the last two decades. He has stepped away from Tests and T20I cricket, but is still very much active in ODI cricket. He made his T20 international debut in the 2007 T20 World Cup and scored a vital half-century in his 2nd T20 international in the World Cup fixture against South Africa. Rohit was just 20 years old at that time. 

Rohit Sharma was the Man of the Match in the 2025 Champions Trophy final and played a pivotal role in India’s 2024 T20I World Cup win as well. He has been an integral part of this Indian side since 2013, carving a niche for himself as an opener. Rohit Sharma is known for giving his side blistering starts, blowing away the opposition within the powerplay with his expansive strokeplay. 

MS Dhoni's decision to ask Rohit Sharma to open the innings in the 2013 Champions Trophy saw a shift in his fortunes. He was phenomenal during that tournament, finishing as the second-highest run-getter for India. Rohit Sharma scored 330 in 8 innings in the 2015 World Cup and was simply outstanding in the 2019 World Cup.

In eight matches, he struck 648 runs at an average of 81. He hit as many as five centuries and one half-century during the tournament. He has 32 hundreds in ODIs and 12 tons in Tests and many of them came in winning causes. While his exploits on the field are well documented, there are still certain aspects of Rohit Sharma’s life that many wouldn’t be aware of. 

Here are top five unknown facts about Rohit Sharma:

1. Knows multiple languages

Apart from his cricketing proficiency, Rohit Sharma is also proficient in languages, and can fluently speak multiple languages. He can speak fluently in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Telugu. English and Hindi are fairly self-explanatory, but Rohit’s Mumbai upbringing makes him fluent in Marathi, as he is often seen conversing in that language with the Mumbai cricketers. Rohit Sharma can also speak Telugu as his family roots trace back to Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.   

2. Grew up with his grandparents

Rohit Sharma’s parents resided in a small house in Dombivli, a suburb on the outskirts of Mumbai. Due to financial constraints, Rohit Sharma moved to his grandparents' house which is in Borivali, a different suburb of Mumbai.

It is in Borivali that Rohit Sharma grew up, with the guidance and protection of his grandparents. Rohit honed his cricketing skills while at Borivali, travelling a distance of over 30km every day by train for his cricket practice which was on the other side of town. Staying with his grandparents, Rohit received a lot of love from them and the entire society, which has contributed to making him the cricketer that he is today. 

3. Forgetful by nature

Many cricketers who played alongside him have remarked on how forgetful Rohit Sharma is. He is generally a very happy-go-lucky kind of person, who stays in the moment and forgets things on a whim. In an interview, Dinesh Karthik recalled how Rohit Sharma once forgot his passport ahead of an away tour. It was only when he was aboard the team bus that he realised it, and they had to make a quick detour back to the hotel for Rohit to collect his passport. Rohit Sharma’s forgetful nature is maybe what helps him get over past disappointments really quickly as well. 

4. Eggitarian 

Rohit Sharma is a vegetarian by choice and has grown up as a vegetarian. However, he has a deep fondness for eggs and considers eggs to be a staple part of his diet. Rohit Sharma enjoys scrambled eggs, bhurji, omelettes, and boiled eggs, and has been quite the foodie. Rumour has it that Rohit Sharma was once challenged by a friend to eat 45 eggs in one sitting, and he ended up winning that challenge. 

5. Started as an off-spinner

While Rohit Sharma has made a name for himself as an aggressive batsman, not many know that he actually started his career as an off-spinner. He in fact has an IPL hat-trick to his name as well, when he played for Deccan Chargers in 2009. Rohit Sharma’s childhood coach was Dinesh Lad, the father of Mumbai cricketer Siddhesh Lad, and he was the first one who spotted Rohit’s prowess for batting.