"I was thinking how to play this bowler" - When Rohit Sharma revealed about the Aussie legend who gave him a sleepless night

Team India's ODI and Test skipper Rohit Sharma has always been known as someone who has that extra time to play fast bowlers. He's regarded among the best players of the pull and the hook in the current Indian team. However, the elegant right-handed batter has also gone through a phase when he had a sleepless night because he was worried about facing a fast bowler.

On the night before his first tour of Australia in 2007-08, a young Rohit lost sleep over the prospect of facing Aussie speedster Brett Lee who was, at that period, the among the fastest bowlers in world cricket along with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar. In an interaction on Star Sports in May 2020, which also featured Lee, the Indian batter candidly admitted that he was worried about facing the Australian.

“One bowler is Brett Lee because he didn’t let me sleep the previous night on my first tour to Australia in 2007, as I was thinking how to play this bowler who bowls in excess of 150 kmph," Rohit said.

"In 2007, Brett Lee was at his peak. I used to watch him closely and noticed that he was consistently bowling at the speed of around 150-155 kmph. The thought of a youngster like me facing that kind of speed took away my sleep,” the Indian batter went on to add.

Rohit made his international debut in June 2007 in an ODI against Ireland in Belfast. He was a key member of the Men in Blue squad that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, which also marked his maiden appearance in a T20I tournament for India.

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How Rohit Sharma fared during India's tour of Australia in 2007-08

As a young batter, Rohit played 10 matches during the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank tri-series, which featured Sri Lanka as the third team. The right-handed batter made a significant impact, scoring 235 runs at an average of 33.57 and a strike rate of 75.56, with the aid of two half-centuries.

The Indian batter scored 70* off 64 against Sri Lanka in Canberra in match number five. He also contributed a crucial 66 off 87 in Sydney in the first of the best of three finals against Australia, which India won by six wickets. The youngster hit six fours and added 123 for the fourth wicket with Sachin Tendulkar (117* off 120) as India chased down a target of 240 in 45.5 overs.