– The unknown superstar advocates for rhinos and delights 900 million
India’s Rohit Sharma sets standards as a world-class batsman in cricket. He even has to endure a rather strange Federer comparison.
Published today at 6:00 a.m. 23 million worth and world record holder: India’s star cricketer Rohit Sharma wants to win his fourth title at the home World Cup. Photo: Sajjad Hussain (AFP) These are numbers that can be overwhelming. India has a population of 1.4 billion and cricket is the sport of choice for the majority of them. There are around 900 million cricket fans on the subcontinent, at least that’s what the world association once calculated. It is equivalent to two and a half times the population of the United States. Or a hundred times that of Switzerland.Similarly difficult to imagine from a distance: the hype caused by the Cricket World Cup, which is currently entering its decisive phase in India. The six-week tournament is considered the third largest sporting event in the world, behind the World Cup and the Summer Olympics. Among other things, because three of the eight most populous countries take part: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. An estimated 2.6 billion people are watching. On Sunday, the preliminary round of the World Cup ended with an insignificant game for the host: they qualified for the semi-finals long before the duel with the Netherlands. The Indian team got through the preliminary round flawlessly and has so far lived up to its supremacy in the sport. India is the world number 1 in all three variants of cricket (Test, One Day International, T20). India has the most important and lucrative league in the world, generating $11 billion annually. India also has the biggest stars of this sport – even if they are hardly or not at all known in this country. For example Rohit Sharma. They call the 36-year-old captain “Hitman” because few people swing their bat as powerfully as he does. Sharma is usually deployed as one of the first two batsmen, expected to score as much as possible early for his team and stay on the field for a long time. And Sharma is good at that: with 264 points in a single game, he holds the world record in the One Day International (ODI) World Cup format. He is also the only player in the world to score more than 200 points in three ODI games. Unlike the team’s other superstar, Virat Kohli, who comes from a wealthy family, Sharma has worked his way up from difficult backgrounds using his cricketing talent alone. Which makes him even more of a role model in (younger) Indian society. His assets are now estimated at the equivalent of almost 30 million francs. It is sponsored by the Swiss watch brand Hublot, among others.India’s cricket stars: Captain Rohit Sharma (left) and his predecessor Virat Kohli form a batting duo in the World Cup game against South Africa.Photo: Dibyangshu Sarkar (AFP)Sharma’s father was a caretaker at one transport company and earned too little to support Rohit. He grew up with his brother Vishal with his grandparents and an uncle. It was this uncle who lent the then 12-year-old Rohit the money for a cricket camp. One of the coaches immediately recognized his gift and personally advocated for him to receive a scholarship to an international school where he could be better supported in sports. In the first tournament, Rohit Sharma hit more than 100 points. This is called “Century” in cricket. At the age of 20 he played his first international matches and at 21 he signed his first professional contract in the Indian Professional League. He was later transferred to the major club Mumbai Indians for the equivalent of around three million francs, to which he has remained loyal for twelve years. Especially in the ODI format, which is limited to 50 overs and thus 300 shots per team, Sharma is considered the best player in the world. But he is also special in traditional Test cricket. In 2022, he took over the captaincy honor from Virat Kohli. A trade journal once described Sharma’s style as a batsman as “aggressive yet stylish and elegant” and even praised his game as a “symphony”. On this occasion it drew an interesting comparison: “When a tennis player is beaten by Rafael Nadal, it looks as if he ends up with severe bruises and cuts. But when Roger Federer hits an opponent, he doesn’t feel any bruises, he just admires the artistry and elegance of the punches. »Powerful and swinging: Rohit Sharma hits the ball powerfully. Photo: Punit Paranjpe (AFP) Rohit Sharma is not an ordinary one Athletes, that much is clear when so much pathos is unpacked. This also applies to his private life. The 36-year-old father of a four-year-old girl, married to his own advisor, is a philanthropist and is primarily committed to animal welfare. He is a vegetarian, and proceeds from the sale of merchandising items regularly benefit organizations that support these causes. Sharma has particular sympathy for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the organization Peta, which, among other things, combats fur farming and animal testing. He once volunteered as a rhinoceros ambassador for the WWF. With actors Matt LeBlanc and Salma Hayek, he protested against poaching in Kenya in 2015, especially the white rhinoceros, which is critically endangered. In another PETA campaign in 2014, Sharma campaigned for a ban on circus animals. «Animals deserve respect and should not be locked in small cages and forced to perform demeaning and insignificant tricks. We cricketers love our sport and take part in it voluntarily. Animals in the circus are forced to perform against their will.” Wild animal performances have been banned in over 40 countries in recent years. In India this applies to big cats or bears. Elephants, on the other hand, can still be paraded. As a cricket ace, Sharma has already won the World Cup three times (twice in the ODI, once in the short format T20). If everything continues to go according to plan, the fourth title will be added in the next few days. New Zealand is the opponent in the semi-finals on Wednesday. A rough estimate of 900 million Indians will be eager for the game. Third Half – the football podcast from Tamedia “Third Half” – The Podcast on Swiss Football You can find the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts subscribe to. If you use another podcast app, simply search for “Third Half”. This text comes from the current edition. Read the complete Sunday newspaper here in the e-paper.David Wiederkehr is deputy head of the Tamedia sports department and has been writing about sports since 2000. His areas of expertise are football, artistic gymnastics and US sports.More informationFound a mistake?Report now.0 comments
2023-11-13 05:15:40
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