Rohit Sharma Turns 37: Cricket Fraternity Extend Birthday Wishes to Indian Skipper

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Wishes poured in as the cricketing world took to social media to extend their birthday greetings to Team India's all-format skipper Rohit Sharma, who turned 37 on Wednesday (April 30).

Rohit, who is widely hailed as one of the best of his generation, continues to be a star batter for India, particularly in white-ball cricket. The right-handed batter has entertained and mesmerised audiences worldwide with his classy strokeplay.

The 37-year-old is among the best players of Pull shot in the game, often employing it during powerplay overs in white-ball cricket and even in the longest format.

Rohit, who made his India debut in 2007 as a middle order batter, has made the opening slot his own across formats since the 2013 Champions Trophy when he opened the innings alongside Shikhar Dhawan

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to X (formerly Twitter) to extend their wishes to the 'Hitman' posting, "472 intl. matches , 18,820 intl. runs, 48 intl. hundreds Only cricketer to score Three ODI double hundreds Wishing a very Happy Birthday to #TeamIndia Captain Rohit Sharma! @ImRo45."

The honorary secretary of BCCI, Jay Shah, who had earlier this announced Rohit as the captain for the T20 World Cup 2024, also extended his wishes to the "unstoppable force of Indian cricket".

"Sending birthday wishes to the unstoppable force of Indian cricket, our captain, @ImRo45! Your leadership, skill, and unyielding spirit are the heartbeat of our team. Here's to another year of smashing boundaries and making history! Keep shining, Hitman!," tweeted Shah.

Mumbai Indians (MI), the franchise that has won five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles under the captaincy of Rohit, also wished Rohit and all his fans a "Hitman Day".

"IT'S HITMAN DAY Happy birthday to the one and only Mr. 45, Rohit Sharma. #MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians | @ImRo45," MI posted on X.

Like Mumbai Indians, the other IPL teams also sent their birthday wishes to the Indian skipper alongside some past and current teammates of Rohit Sharma.

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir, who was a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning team and 2011 Cricket World Cup winning sides with Rohit also wrote, "A very happy birthday @ImRo45. Wishing you health and happiness! Stay blessed!"

India's World Cup winning all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who played alongside the Hitman in the Indian cricket team and for Mumbai Indians, also extended birthday wishes to the "brothaman".

"Happy birthday brothaman! May happiness and success flow as effortlessly as the big hits from your bat! Loads of love @ImRo45 #HappyBirthdayRohit #RohitSharma," tweeted Yuvraj.

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer also had a creative tweet to wish Rohit on his birthday, writing, "His batting has such a 'pull' and so does his personality, no wonder people are easily pulled towards him. Happy birthday @ImRo45, have a great one #HappyBirthdayRohitSharma."

In 262 ODIs, he has scored 10709 runs at an average of 49.12. He has 31 centuries and 55 fifties in the format, with 264 being his best individual score, which is also the best score in ODI cricket history.

He is the 15th-highest scorer in ODI cricket and the sixth-highest run-scorer among Indians, behind MS Dhoni (10599), Rahul Dravid (10,768), Sourav Ganguly (11,221), Virat Kohli (13848) and Sachin Tendulkar (18426 runs).

He has the third-highest ODI tons by any player, behind Virat (50) and Sachin (49). He is the only player with three ODI double tons.

Over the years, he has established himself as a reliable test opener too. In 59 matches and 101 innings, he has scored 4137 runs at an average of 45.46 and a strike rate of over 57.05.

Rohit has made an impact in T20 cricket with his captaincy skills. He has won six IPL trophies, making him the most successful IPL player ever. He has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles as skipper (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), and won one with Deccan Chargers as a player (2009).

On top of that, he is the fourth-highest run-getter in the league's history, with a total of 6522 runs in 252 matches, 247 innings at an average of 29.92, with two centuries and 42 half-centuries and best score of 109*.

He has been brilliant in T20Is too, scoring 3,974 runs at an average of over 31 in 151 matches, with five centuries and 29 fifties. He has the most centuries in T20 cricket.

In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit had a stunning run as he finished in second place with 597 runs. The 'Hitman' is currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with Mumbai Indians (MI).