Rohit Sharma has shared the story behind his famous jersey number 45 and revealed why he could not wear his first choice jersey number
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Rohit Sharma’s advice helped Ayush Mhatre win U19 World Cup
Rohit Sharma has revealed the story behind his famous jersey number 45 and explained why he could not wear his first choice when he started playing cricketThe India batter said he initially wanted a single-digit number, but most of the numbers he liked had already been taken.
Speaking on his gaming reality show, Family Full House with Rohit Sharma, the former India captain recalled how he ended up choosing 45, a number that has become closely associated with him.
Rohit said he first wore the number 19 while playing age-group cricketHowever, he later found out that he would not be able to use the same number if he made it to the senior Indian team, as it belonged to Rahul Dravid.
“When I played cricket in a jersey for the first time, you have to choose a number for your jerseyBy then, most of the numbers had already been taken, like No5, No8 and No9I wanted a single-digit number, but all of them had already been chosenSo, the only number left for me was 19I just happened to like the number 19, so I played with No19, including at the Under-19 level,” Rohit Sharma said.
He added that someone pointed out that he would have to change the number if he played for India because Dravid was already wearing 19.
“After that, I think there was a player playing with me at that time, though I can’t remember his name nowHe told me, ‘Look, it’s fine in the Under-19 team, but if you go on to play for the Indian team, you won’t be able to take that number.’ So I asked, ‘Why?’ He replied, ‘It’s Rahul Dravid’s number.’ At that time, Rahul Dravid was playing with the No19 jersey, and he was also the captain,” the former India captain added.
Rohit then called his mother for adviceShe suggested number 9, but that was also unavailableHe did not want to choose 27 and eventually settled on 45.
“My mother told me to play with number 9But that number was already takenI liked the combination of 4 and 5, so I decided to go with 45It also adds up to 9,” he recalled.
The number has remained with Rohit throughout his international career and is now one of the most recognisable jersey numbers in Indian cricket.
Rohit will soon be back in action when India take on New Zealand in a five-match ODI series starting November 4.
Shubman Gill will lead India in the first three ODIs, while Shreyas Iyer will captain the side in the final two matches.
The series will be important for both teams as they prepare for the 2027 ODI World CupIt will also give Indian fans another chance to watch Rohit and Virat Kohli play together in the 50-over format.
India will begin the series in Auckland before travelling to Wellington and HamiltonThe final two matches will be played at Mount MaunganuiAll five matches will start at 7:30 AM IST.
