NEW DELHI: Former India coach Kris Srikkanth has opened up about one of the most talked about omissions in Indian cricket history, admitting he still regrets leaving Rohit Sharma out of the 2011 World Cup squad.“I feel sorry for him even today. I told Rohit last year, I’m sorry. It’s not on purpose but we just want to take the half all-rounders. Our thought process was similar to the 1983 World Cup,” Srikkanth told The Week.
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Venugopal Rao explains where Delhi Capitals lost the game when they were chasing a big numberIndia went on to lift the 2011 World Cup under MS Dhoni, ending a 28-year wait since the iconic 1983 triumph. While the victory remains one of the country’s greatest sporting moments, it also involved tough selection decisions, with Rohit among the notable exclusions despite his promising performances in ODIs at the time.Srikkanth explained that the challenge was not based on lack of ability, but rather on team balance. The selectors opted for a team full of multi-dimensional players who could contribute with both bat and ball. The strategy mirrored the 1983 plan, where flexibility and depth played a key role.This approach paid off handsomely, especially with the performances of Yuvraj Singh, who emerged as the player of the tournament with 362 runs and 15 wickets. His all-round brilliance proved decisive in India’s title campaign.“And at the end of the day, who was the player of the tournament? Yuvraj Singh, with the ball and the bat. In some matches, Sehwag, Sachin and Suresh Raina would bowl a few overs. Even Yusuf Pathan is a half-all-rounder. So in all these things, unfortunately, this half-all-rounder concept could not find a place, poor Rohit Sharma, who couldn’t play. World Cup 2011, but the poor boy missed out,” he added Srikanth.At the time of his omission, Rohit had already shown promise and had scored more than 1,200 ODI runs. Although he missed out on the World Cup, he later developed into one of India’s best white-ball batsmen.
