The Rohit Sharma Story captures a lad’s journey from Mumbai suburbs to millions of hearts

The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought along different things, mostly adverse, to different people, but Vijay Lokapally and G Krishnan have done well to use the time during lockdown and later to stay productively engaged. They have bridged time and distance to co-author a racy book on the life and times of one of India’s most gifted opening batsmen in terms of creativity and aggression.

The Hitman: The Rohit Sharma Story is not only a good addition to bookshelves, but also plugs a gap by making available, in book form, the fascinating tale of a lad from the suburbs of Mumbai making his mark on the world stage. For Rohit Sharma, it has been quite a journey into the hearts of millions, sparked by a shift from Dombivili to Borivali to play cricket as a 12-year-old.

The authors take the reader along with their engaging narration of Rohit Sharma’s rise from the early days to being one of the most respected and destructive openers in world cricket as well as a leader in his own right. It is to their credit that the authors do not let the reader feel that this is hurriedly written project – that secret is let out in the acknowledgements at the start of the book.

Sometimes, reviewers make the mistake of judging a book on the basis of how much the subject of the book has held them in thrall with his approach to the game. There is no doubt that the reader will delight in being given access to the treasure chest in the form of views by Rohit Sharma’s coach Dinesh Lad and many cricket luminaries.

The chapter in which Rohit Sharma’s friendship with Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary and Mumbai hero Abhishek Nayar – two of his earliest cricketing friends – gives a deep insight into the Indian opener’s personality. It is quite illuminating that Rohit Sharma is seen as a the one to go and sit next to when under pressure, as the one to calm things down with his sense of humour.

The final chapter on the emotions that he evokes in his fans makes for interesting reading, with one describing his batting as a deadly combination of Damien Martyn’s silken touch Viv Richards’ raw hitting power. We can only imagine how wonderful it would have been if he expressed himself more frequently in Tests than in just half the games that India played since his debut in 2013.

To be sure, we have got to hear of Rohit Sharma’s disappointment at not being part of the Indian team in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and his return to the dressing room by grabbing his chances to take the slot vacated by Sachin Tendulkar in the one-day international squad. Rohit Sharma lost no time in establishing himself as an accomplished opening batsman.

Given that he is an inspiration, not just because of his 14,029 runs in 364 international appearances but also because he has shown an unflustered, unflappable demeanour as leader, it may have been of interest to the reader if the book dwelt on reasons for his decline in form – did the shift to Bandra have a role? – and how he built on his resolve to own the opener’s slot in the Indian side.

Another aspect of Rohit Sharma’s career that could have been dealt with at greater length is his being able to stamp his presence in the limited-over side despite the massive presence of Virat Kohli. Their friendship and rivalry could have got a bit more attention from the authors – but this became more apparent in the recent weeks because of Rohit Sharma’s hamstring injury.

Be that as it may, my mind goes back to the time when MS Dhoni came to the media conference after Rohit Sharma won the man of the match award for his unbeaten half-century against South Africa in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in Durban. The Indian captain made a pronouncement – “Rohit Sharma would not need the media from here on, you will need him.”

Indeed, it has been a riveting story, the Rohit Sharma story.

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The Hitman: The Rohit Sharma Story, Vijay Lokapally and G. Krishnan, Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd., pp188, Rs 499.