"He said he was depressed for a month" - Jemimah Rodrigues reveals conversation with Rohit Sharma over 2011 World Cup squad omission

Rohit Sharma didn't make it to India's squad for the 2011 World Cup, which was won by India in India.

Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues has revealed an insightful conversation with Rohit Sharma and how he expressed his disappointment at being snubbed from the 2011 World Cup squad. Rodrigues admitted that the conversation left her in tears.

Rohit Sharma, one of the biggest names in world cricket today, missed out on the 2011 World Cup squad. The right-hander was on the fringes of the national team and primarily played as a middle-order batter. Instead, Virat Kohli sneaked into the squad and proved his mettle.

Speaking on 'Breakfast with Champions', the 22-year-old disclosed that Rohit credited Yuvraj Singh for proving himself a real helping hand during that tough phase of his life that he spent in depression.

"Rohit Sharma was also dropped from the 2011 Word Cup. I asked him the question, '10 years down the line, you are leading India, did you ever think that this would happen?' He was like 'No, a lot of people came up to me at that time and said a lot of things but nobody knew what I was going through'. There was only one person, Yuvraj Singh, who came up to him, took him out for dinner and there was nobody else. He said he was depressed for a month. Because the WC is something that you dream about. So, when he said that, I was crying inside. I was literally in tears."

Rohit's ODI career changed dramatically after being promoted to open in 2013. Since then, the 35-year-old has cracked three double-centuries in the format and averages 48.53 in 243 matches alongside 9825 runs.

"That stuck with me" - Jemimah Rodrigues on Rohit Sharma's advice

The right-hander further stated that she carries Rohit's advice of identifying the opportunities as and when they come up.

The youngster explained: "Tough times will happen but you know it is what you do next. Make sure when you get the next opportunity, you are ready for it. It happens or doesn't happen it's fine.' And that stuck with me. I don't have to prove to anyone or anything. I just have to play for the pure joy of the game."

Rohit, currently leading the Mumbai Indians, has struggled with the bat in IPL 2023 with only one fifty in seven innings.