Ex-BCCI selector says 'Sorry' to Rohit Sharma: 'Boss, we didn't do It on purpose'

Former India selector Kris Srikkanth has revealed that he apologised to Rohit Sharma for not selecting him in India’s squad for the 2011 World Cup. Speaking on a podcast, Srikkanth said Rohit was good enough to be in the team, but the selectors had a different strategy at that time.

“Poor fellow, he missed it. I feel bad for him even today. I told Rohit one day in 2020, I’m sorry, boss. It’s not on purpose, but it’s just that we wanted to take those half all-rounders. The team was packed with half all-rounders,” Srikkanth said during a podcast on YouTube.

He explained that the idea was to build a team similar to the 1983 World Cup squad, where most players could contribute with both bat and ball. “Not that he was not good enough. He was actually good enough to play the 2011 World Cup. But poor boy, he missed it,” he added.

Rohit has often said that missing the 2011 World Cup is the biggest regret of his career. However, that moment pushed him to perform better in the future. He went on to become one of India’s top performers in later World Cups, including being the highest run-scorer in 2019.

Today, Rohit is one of India’s most successful white-ball players and a two-time ICC trophy-winning captain. Reports suggest that he is still motivated to continue playing ODIs and is aiming to be part of the 2027 World Cup

 At the time of the 2011 World Cup, Rohit also bowled occasionally, but a finger injury later affected his ability to bowl regularly.