Former India chief selector Kris Srikkanth has revisited one of the most talked-about snubs in the country\u2019s cricketing past, admitting he still feels regret over Rohit Sharma\u2019s omission from India\u2019s 2011 World Cup squad.<\/p>\n
Srikkanth said he even conveyed his apology to Rohit recently. \u201cI feel bad for him even today. I told Rohit last year, I am sorry. It\u2019s not by purpose, but it\u2019s just that we wanted to take those half all-rounders,\u201d he explained. He added that the thinking was aligned with India\u2019s approach from the 1983 World Cup, where balance and versatility were central to the selection mix.<\/p>\n
India went on to win the 2011 World Cup under MS Dhoni, finally ending a 28-year wait after the memorable success in 1983. While that triumph is remembered as one of the biggest moments in Indian sport, it also came with difficult squad choices. Rohit was among the prominent names left out, despite showing encouraging form in ODIs leading into the tournament.<\/p>\n
Justifying the decision, Srikkanth stressed that the exclusion was not a reflection of Rohit\u2019s talent. Instead, it was driven by the need to shape a squad around team balance. The selectors leaned towards players who could offer more than one skill set\u2014impact with the bat and meaningful overs with the ball\u2014following the same template that had worked in 1983.<\/p>\n
Srikkanth pointed to how that strategy ultimately delivered. One of the most significant reasons India lifted the trophy was the tournament-defining contribution of Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj finished as Player of the Tournament, amassing 362 runs and taking 15 wickets, turning his all-round ability into a deciding factor across crucial phases of the campaign.<\/p>\n
He further elaborated on how the \u201chalf all-rounder\u201d requirement influenced the final call. \u201cAnd 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,\u201d Srikkanth said. \u201cSo in all these things, unfortunately, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time of his exclusion, Rohit had already established himself in the ODI format, having crossed 1,200 runs. Although he missed out on the World Cup opportunity in 2011, his career later took a major turn\u2014he went on to become one of India\u2019s most trusted and accomplished white-ball batters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former India chief selector Kris Srikkanth has revisited one of the most talked-about snubs in the country\u2019s cricketing past, admitting he still feels regret over…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Kris Srikkanth on Rohit Sharma 2011 WC Snub | IPL News","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Kris Srikkanth opens up on his regret over Rohit Sharma\u2019s 2011 World Cup snub, saying he apologized and revealing the selection logic.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n