• Home
  • Player Stories
  • When Indian Captain Rohit Sharma Was Called Unluckiest In The World By Travis Head

When Indian Captain Rohit Sharma Was Called 'Unluckiest' In The World By Travis Head 

Snippets of Travis Head and Rohit Sharma (X.com)Snippets of Travis Head and Rohit Sharma (X.com)

The year 2023 was bittersweet, especially for cricket fans all over the world. The ODI World Cup final quashed the dreams of not just Rohit Sharma and co but also millions of people. However, a big, unexpected, empathetic moment occurred after a gut-wrenching moment when Travis Head, the hero of the final match with a match-winning hundred, termed India's captain Rohit Sharma "probably the unluckiest man in the world."

The context of Head's comment had come earlier in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium. The hard-hitting Rohit Sharma fell in an extremely unfortunate manner: a brilliant catch running back at cover from Head plucked the ball from a seeming certain boundary. The wicket did not only cut short Rohit's innings but drained all momentum from India's batting lineup, setting up Australia's victory.

Rohit Sharma's story in the World Cup finals has been one of near misses up until very recently. Great performances, great captaincy, but he fell short every time. Head's century and his catch earlier in the game furthered the plot of bad luck surrounding Rohit, who, despite all efforts, saw the World Cup slip away from him once again.

The acknowledgement by Head went beyond the catch and the match. It was a respect-for-respect attitude, for all that Rohit has done over the years as a player and captain. This said from an opponent, really made it sound a lot sportier, as the sport itself dictates. 

From Rags To Riches, Skipper Ro's Journey From Unlucky To Lucky

However, the journey of this 'unlucky' captain did not go in vain as he lifted the trophy in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Rohit's fate really had a turn for the better in the 2024 T20 World Cup, jointly held by the USA and the West Indies. 

Under his captaincy, India had won the 2024 T20 World Cup title after defeating all teams with a commendable performance. Against Australia, one such thriller saw a blood-curdling moment: at one critical juncture, Rohit sent back his counterpart Head with a catch, the same way he was done in during the 2023 ODI World Cup.