How Rohit got under Virat shadow

Nagpur : Vedant Rathod, 12, is a fan of Rohit Sharma. “He hits the ball into the gaps very well,” says Rathod. But why, then, does Rathod, a resident of Ayodhya Nagar, have ‘Virit’ painted on his face? “Oh, there was a man painting names of the players on the faces of fans for Rs 10, near the gate,” says Rathod. “I told him to paint ‘Rohit’ on my face, but he said he would paint ‘Virat’ instead. He said he is used to writing only ‘Virat’ on people’s faces because that’s what they want. I didn’t know he can’t spell ‘Virat’ also!”
Names are imprinted on faces and minds by charisma plus success — and then there’s the small matter of luck. Sharma has the charisma, he’s had success, too. But he’s been hobbled by bad luck. He’s yet to reach the level of superstardom Kohli has achieved.
First mover
But before there was Kohli, there was Sharma. Sharma had the first mover’s advantage — he’s 555 days older to Kohli. Sharma played the U-19 World Cup final in 2006, two years before Kohli did. Sharma played his first ODI in 2007, a year before Kohli debuted in ODIs. Sharma made his T20I debut three years before Kohli did. But Sharma could not make the fullest use of the opportunities; Kohli quickly established himself in the team.
In Tests, Sharma should have made his debut one year before Kohli, but luck intervened. Warming up with a game of football on February 6, 2010, the morning of his Test debut here in Nagpur, he twisted his ankle. There was no way he could play. His dream of playing for India at age 22 was shattered.
Kohli did make his Test debut at 22, in 2011. Sharma’s wait continued, ending only in 2013. This is how fate twists ankles and people’s careers.