'I am sorry': Former The country selector recalls apologising to Rohit Sharma

by Times of India
Apr 13, 2026

Image Source By : Indian Chronicle

'I am sorry': Former India selector recalls apologising to Rohit Sharma | Cricket News - The Times of India

'I am sorry': Former The country selector recalls apologising to Rohit Sharma

has opened up on one of the most debated omissions in Indian cricket history, admitting he still regrets leaving out

“I feel bad for him even today. I told Rohit last year, I am sorry. It's not by purpose, but it's just that we want to take those half all-rounders. Our thought process was similar to that of the 1983 World Cup,” Srikkanth told The Week.

Venugopal Rao explains where Delhi Capitals lost the game while chasing a big total

, ending a 28-year wait since the iconic 1983 triumph.

While the victory remains one of the country’s greatest sporting moments, it also involved tough selection decisions, with Rohit among the notable exclusions despite his promising performances in ODIs at the time.

Srikkanth explained that the call was not based on a lack of ability, but rather on team balance. The selectors opted for a squad filled with multi-dimensional players who could contribute with both bat and ball. The strategy mirrored the blueprint of 1983, where flexibility and depth played a key role.

That approach paid off handsomely, most notably through the performances of

, who emerged as Player of the Tournament with 362 runs and 15 wickets.

His all-round brilliance proved decisive in India’s title-winning campaign.

“And at the end of the day, who was the Player of the Tournament? Yuvraj Singh, with the ball and bat. In some matches, Sehwag, Sachin and

would have bowled a few overs. Even Yusuf Pathan is a half all-rounder. So in all these things, unfortunately, what happened, this half all-rounder concept, Rohit Sharma, the poor fellow, could not find a place. He was actually good enough to play in the 2011 Globe Cup, but poor boy missed out,” Srikkanth added.

At the time of his omission, Rohit had already shown promise, scoring over 1,200 ODI runs.

Though he missed out on the Global Cup, he later evolved into one of India’s finest white-ball batters.

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