Rohit Sharma calls Yuvraj Singh 'his first cricket crush', recalls funny 2007 WC incident

Due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, cricketers have been able to interact with their fans more through different initiatives they take on social media. Instagram live sessions have become a trend in the cricket fraternity with high profile players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kevin Pietersen engaging with each other and as a result, their fans on Instagram. On Tuesday, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma went live with Team India legend Yuvraj Singh and he revealed some details about how starstruck he was by the latter.

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Rohit Sharma's desire to emulate Yuvraj Singh in his debut years

Rohit Sharma made a flashy entrance into Team India in 2007 and his hard-hitting abilities were almost instantly noticed. Sharma and Yuvraj Singh, both, played vital roles in making India the inaugural T20 World Champions in 2007. Talking about his initial years in the team, Sharma shared how Yuvraj was his "cricket crush". Yuvraj Singh became a role model for Sharma as he tried to emulate the Punjab all-rounder in every way that he could. From preparation to fielding practice, Sharma wanted to learn everything from Yuvraj since he wanted to become the middle-order batsman India could rely on the most to finish off and win matches.

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Rohit Sharma then recited this funny incident where he reached early to the team bus and sat on a seat that was reserved for Yuvraj Singh. Sharma did this despite being warned about the same by bowler R.P. Singh. Sharma then reminisced on how Yuvraj Singh entered the bus and had the batsman awestruck in the process. Eventually, Singh asked Sharma to get up and find another seat. The Mumbai Indians captain humorously reflected on how the two have had a better relation since what they did then.

Besides Sharma, even Indian skipper Virat Kohli had said in a 2017 interview on Breakfast with Champions about Yuvraj Singh being bullish around youngsters during their early days in the late 2000s.

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Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh's epic cricket journey

While Sharma's contributions at the biggest stage started alongside Yuvraj Singh in the T20 World Cup 2007, it is also interesting to observe how Yuvraj Singh's career ended alongside Sharma. After being dropped by the Kings XI after IPL 2018, Yuvraj Singh was picked up by the Mumbai Indians for his base price in IPL 2019. Singh played in the squad initially before his lack of form became evident enough for him to be dropped from the playing XI.

However, Mumbai Indians did end up winning their fourth IPL title in that season and Yuvraj Singh stepped out of the IPL as a winner. He then announced his retirement from all BCCI-backed cricket events. The BCCI currently has the IPL 2020 postponed after rising worries about the novel coronavirus.

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