“That was the saddest moment” - When Rohit Sharma opened up on one of the biggest disappointments of his career

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has made his name as one of the greatest batters in white-ball cricket over the years. Yet, the 37-year-old has mentioned how not being part of the 2011 ODI World Cup remains one of the biggest disappointments of his illustrious career.

Debuting for India in 2007, Rohit played a vital role in India winning the inaugural T20 World Cup that year. While he also debuted in ODIs the same year and played many more over the next three years, inconsistencies in performances saw him excluded from the 2011 World Cup squad.

In a conversation with former England batter Kevin Pietersen, as quoted by India Today in 2020, Rohit responded to a question on his biggest disappointment by saying:

"Not getting picked for the 2011 World Cup squad, that was the saddest moment as it was happening in our own backyard, the final was played at my home ground. "It was due to my performances, I was not at my best."

Rohit averaged in the 20s in each of his first three seasons from 2007 to 2009 in ODIs before averaging almost 39 in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Men in Blue, led by MS Dhoni, went on to win their second ODI World Cup title in the 2011 edition at home, defeating Sri Lanka in the final at Mumbai.

Rohit Sharma has dominated the ODI World Cup since missing the 2011 edition

India v Afghanistan - ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 - Source: Getty

Rohit Sharma may have missed out on the 2011 ODI World Cup but he has made massive strides in the editions since.

He has the most centuries in ODI World Cup history with seven, including five in the 2019 edition - the most centuries in a single ODI World Cup.

The 37-year-old had an excellent 2015 World Cup with 330 runs at an average of 47.14 and a strike rate of 91.66 in eight outings. He followed that with his best World Cup performance in 2019, finishing as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 648 runs at an average of 81 and a strike rate of 98.33 in nine games.

Rohit continued his World Cup domination in 2023, finishing as the second-leading scorer with 597 runs at an average of 54.27 and a strike rate of 125.94. The champion batter is the fourth all-time leading run-scorer in ODI World Cups with 1,575 runs at an average of over 60 and a striker rate of 105.49 in 28 matches.

Despite the individual brilliance, Rohit is yet to win a title with India in the ODI World Cup, suffering heartbreaking defeats in the semi-final in 2015 and 2019 and the final in 2023.