Being from the city of Lucknow, we’ve had many with ‘Sharma’ Upadhi (surname) as classmates and teachers and later in life, as our colleagues and bosses. They come from various parts of North India including UP, Delhi, Punjab & Haryana and many have carved a niche in their fields such as the Late Shiv Kumar Sharma, santoor maestro and Yashpal Sharma, gritty cricketer & key member of 1983 WC Team and many others !
In recent times, stand-up comic artiste, Kapil Sharma anchors the most popular Sitcom ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, a platform that Bollywood stars also use to promote their latest releases ! Much closer home, we recall the dignified ‘Sharmaji’ Uncle, who was our neighbor for many years and earned our respect for his rectitude and regal bearing.
However, one ‘Sharma’ who needs no introduction in our cricket-crazy world is India’s current Captain in all formats. Rohit hails from Mumbai (is originally from Dahisar, that’s actually close to our house in Kandivili !) and has earned the sobriquet of ‘Hitman’ for his heroic exploits and ‘Jayasuriya’ like fireworks in the first power-play. As a leader Rohit is considered the best choice with enviable record IPL wins for ‘Mumbai Indians’. His rivalry with King Kohli is overplayed and disproved by their on-field camaraderie !
An aspect of Rohit’s charisma is a cavalier, laid back style which hides sharp cricketing acumen. His comments laced with wonderful witticisms and humour specially in press conferences and interviews, keep his team-mates and associates in high spirits which is a far cry from the hype that superstar Captains carry. Sample some Sharma ji gems :
*In one meet, a foreign reporter asked his views on the last ODI World Cup Final and if the Cup should have been shared between English and the Kiwis. Like a bad ball thrown, he dismissed it saying ‘I’m not here to distribute awards but to lead the Indian team’ !
*In a press conference after an India win , firecrackers started as Rohit was replying to a question. Stopping in his tracks he said ‘Lets have the crackers after we win the Cup !’
* In an interview where he was asked about his six-hitting prowess, he opined that when you hit a six you get 6 runs, but for a big one you should 8 and a huge one 10 runs – he knows that no one takes such suggestions seriously, even our most generous BCCI !
* In his recent innings, he was clobbering sixes at will which made Umpire Erasmus ask ‘There’s something special in the bat ?’. Rohit said ‘No’, showing him his strong biceps !
Everyone expects ‘Hitman’ to lead India to repeat the 2011 World Cup victory at home but true to form, he downplays the incredible dream run (5 wins in 5 matches) that his team is having and states ‘they still have a long way to go’ but is happy with his boys ! He is a great team-man and plays for it’s cause but being a major celebrity has problems.
As reported by our alert press he drove down @ over 200 Kmph from Mumbai to Pune which got him 3 traffic violation tickets. So despite his phenomenal success, Rohit must know risks in fast driving are far more than penalties for slow over rates on the field !
Working on Living 