Rohit Sharma's International Journey: From 2007 Debut to India's All-Format Captain

MUMBAI — Few careers in Indian cricket have arced as dramatically as Rohit Sharma's: a middle-order stopgap who took years to nail down a spot, before eventually becoming the man entrusted with leading India across all three formats. Here's how that 18-year journey unfolded.

2007: A Quiet Beginning

Rohit made his ODI debut against Ireland in Belfast on June 23, 2007, a low-key outing in which he neither batted nor bowled but took a catch. Months later, he was part of India's squad for the inaugural ICC World T20 in South Africa, making his T20I debut against England on September 19, 2007 — and ended up lifting the trophy as India, under MS Dhoni, beat Pakistan in the final.

2008–2012: The Long Wait

Despite an unbeaten half-century on ODI debut and steady returns in his early years, Rohit spent much of this period batting in the middle order without a fixed role, and was left out of India's victorious 2011 World Cup squad after a loss of form and fitness. His IPL career began with Deccan Chargers in 2008, before he moved to Mumbai Indians in 2011 — a switch that would go on to define his legacy.

2013: The Turning Point

Everything changed in 2013. MS Dhoni promoted Rohit to open the batting in ODIs, a role in which he flourished immediately, scoring his first ODI double century that same year. He also made his Test debut in November 2013 against West Indies in Kolkata — Sachin Tendulkar's farewell match — scoring 177. In the IPL, Rohit took over Mumbai Indians' captaincy from Ricky Ponting mid-season and led the franchise to its maiden title in his very first year in charge.

2014–2016: Records and Recognition

Rohit's opening partnership with Shikhar Dhawan flourished, and in 2014 he broke his own record with an unbeaten 264 against Sri Lanka — still the highest individual score in ODI history. Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians would go on to win the IPL title four more times (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), making him the league's joint-most successful captain.

2017: First Taste of India Captaincy

After Dhoni stepped down as India's limited-overs captain in early 2017, Rohit was named vice-captain to Virat Kohli. His first assignment as stand-in captain came that December, leading India to a 2-1 ODI series win over Sri Lanka while Kohli was rested. In March 2018, he led a second-string Indian side to victory in the Nidahas Trophy, memorialized by Dinesh Karthik's last-ball six in the final.

2019: Peak Form

Rohit's individual peak arrived at the 2019 ODI World Cup, where he scored a record five centuries, and he was named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year. That same year, he earned the Arjuna Award for his cricketing contributions, having received the honor in 2015 as well for his broader career achievements.

2021–2022: Full Captaincy Across Formats

Following India's early exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli stepped down as white-ball captain, and Rohit took over the T20I and ODI reins. A year later, in 2022, Kohli also relinquished the Test captaincy, making Rohit India's captain across all three formats for the first time.

2023: Two Heartbreaks

Rohit's first full year as all-format captain brought India to two major finals — the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup on home soil — but both ended in defeat, extending India's ICC trophy drought.

2024: Ending the Drought

Rohit finally broke through in June 2024, leading India to the T20 World Cup title in Barbados, India's first ICC trophy in 13 years. He immediately retired from T20I cricket after the win, closing out that format with a title. Later in the year, the ODI captaincy was passed on to Shubman Gill, signaling the start of India's generational transition in the format even as Rohit continued playing.

2025: Winning Again, Then Stepping Back From Tests

Rohit added the 2025 Champions Trophy to his captaincy résumé before retiring from Test cricket on May 7, 2025, bringing an end to his leadership across the two longer formats while continuing his career in ODIs.

2026: The Final Chapter of a Long Career

Rohit was honored with the Padma Shri in 2026 in recognition of his contributions to Indian cricket. With retirement speculation swirling around his ODI future ahead of the England series decider at Lord's, the BCCI has confirmed he remains part of India's plans — keeping alive, for now, the final act of a career that began with a quiet catch against Ireland nearly two decades ago.