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‘I’m sorry, boss’: Why former BCCI selector apologised to Rohit Sharma

Sanjeev Kumar | April 22, 2026 9:21 PM CST

New Delhi: Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth has revealed that dropping Mumbai batter Rohit Sharma from the 2011 ODI World Cup squad was a decision based on the team dynamics and specifics required to complete the team.

While India’s second triumph at the mega 50-over event, after 1983, brought joy to the entire nation but it came at the cost of some tough selection calls. One such name, who despite his initial performances in the ODI cricket at that time, had to miss out on a spot and that was Rohit. Despite the big setback, the right-hander went on to become one of the most prolific batters in Indian cricket.

On a recent interview with The Week, Srikkanth also said that the blueprint that was followed was similar to that of the 1983 ODI WC which focused on players with multi-dimensional skills rather than specialists. Meanwhile on the podcast, the former Indian cricketer said that he feels bad for him even today and has also apologised to Rohit.

Srikkanth apologises to Rohit

‘I feel bad for him even today. I told Rohit last year, I am sorry, ‘I am sorry’. It’s not by purpose, but it’s just that we want to take those half all-rounders. Our thought process was similar to that of the 1983 World Cup,’ Srikkanth said in an interview.

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📣 Krish Srikkanth reveals why he dropped Rohit Sharma from 2011 world cup squad:
I feel bad for him even today. I told Rohit last year, I’m sorry, boss. It’s not by purpose, but it’s just that we want to take those half all-rounders. Our thought process was similar to that of… pic.twitter.com/mm9IpVXDdx
— TEJASH 🚩 (@LoyleRohitFan) April 22, 2026

‘And at the end of the day, who was the Player of the Tournament? Yuvraj Singh, with the ball and bat. In some matches, Sehwag, Sachin and Suresh Raina would have bowled a few overs. Even Yusuf Pathan is a half all-rounder. So in all these things, unfortunately, what happened, this half all-rounder concept, Rohit Sharma, the poor fellow, could not find a place. He was actually good enough to play in the 2011 World Cup, but poor boy missed out,’ added Srikkanth.

Meanwhile, Rohit is currently playing in the IPL 2026 for Mumbai Indians but missed the last clash due to an injury. He has scored a total of 147 runs for MI and is expected to be fit for their next clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday.