"Puji bhaag" - 3 times Rohit Sharma lost his cool on the pitch

Over time, Rohit Sharma has earned a reputation for being a cool and calm customer on the cricket field. A good part of that comes with his success as captain, especially for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL.

Today, of course, the Mumbaikar is India's all-format international captain and it's a role he has taken to like a duck to water. Not often do you come across a man so aware of the situation of the game. Rohit's tactical nous has placed him in high regard amongst the cricketing fraternity.

In fact, his composure as a skipper has drawn him comparisons with the ice-cool MS Dhoni as well. At the end of the day, the human element in a sportsperson does take over at some point and like so many others, Rohit too, has expressed his emotions on the field.

There has been the odd instance of the same over time, with or without the mantle of captaincy on his shoulders. We look at three such instances in international cricket where the flamboyant batter has lost his cool.

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#1 "What? WHAT??" - When Rohit had a tiff with Steve Smith

The first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in 2014-15 saw Australia in a commanding position at the Adelaide Oval. Steve Smith, the centurion from the first innings, was just getting into his innings and Virat Kohli, on captaincy debut, turned to Rohit's part-timers in a bid to stem the flow of runs.

A bizarre moment ensued when something irked the bowler after an LBW appeal was turned down, causing him to turn around to Smith and ask:

"What? WHAT??"

This got Kohli, positioned at slip, into the act as well with the skipper giving Australia's talismanic batter a mouthful, even asking him to stay within his limits. This was one of the few moments when a normally ice-cool Rohit was put off, prompting his skipper to get involved.

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#2 "Kya hua tere ko, bhaag kyun nahi raha hai theek se?"

This dates back to earlier this year when India and West Indies were tussling it out in the second ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Defending a modest 237, the hosts had the Windies floored to the mat. The equation read 48 needed off the last six overs with just two wickets in hand but Odean Smith looked in ominous touch.

Rohit was busy adjusting his field when he was caught berating Yuzvendra Chahal on the stump mic. The captain was miffed with the leg spinner's lack of athleticism and questioned him as to what was wrong.

He was heard saying:

"...Kya hua tere ko, bhaag kyun nahi raha hai theek se? Chal udhar bhaag!"

The pressure of a tense match situation clearly brought the emotions within the skipper to the fore as he lost his cool. It was worth it, though, as India would go on to seal the game as well as the series.

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#3 "Puji bhaag"

The opening Test between India and South Africa in 2019 marked the first instance of Rohit being asked to open the batting in the longest format. He took to the new role like a duck to water, having blasted 176 runs in the first essay.

India bagged a first-innings lead of 71 and their newest opener took charge in the second innings as well. A hilarious moment ensued, though, while he was batting with Cheteshwar Pujara.

Having tapped the ball in front of square on the off-side, Rohit's quest for a quick single was turned down. Fuming, he turned around and was heard expressing his frustration with some coarse language at Pujara for not having taken the run.. While it was amusing for those watching the game, it sure wouldn't have felt that way for the Mumbai Indians skipper.