When Rohit couldn’t enter home turf

There have been famous incidents of cricketers being stopped at a cricket ground – even the legendary Sunil Gavaskar was once denied entry at the Lord’s ground, London.

There have been famous incidents of cricketers being stopped at a cricket ground – even the legendary Sunil Gavaskar was once denied entry at the Lord’s ground, London.

HT Image

But to be stopped from entering one’s home turf must be the first of its kind. Believe it or not, it happened with none other than Rohit Sharma. And, of all the places, the Mumbai star had the experience at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) Recreational Centre at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), a facility where he trains regularly.

The incident happened around two weeks ago when Sharma, who was recuperating from a finger injury that he sustained in England earlier this year, was undergoing rehabilitation at the centre. At the same time, a CK Nayudu under-22 match between Mumbai and Delhi was in progress at the centre’s cricket ground.

After undergoing rehab in the morning, Sharma decided to catch up with the action between the traditional rivals in the afternoon. Being an integral part of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team, he would have naturally expected a smooth ride into the MCA’s ground. However to his horrid surprise, the guard at the entry to the ground through the MCA club house simply refused to let him inside. “I did not recognise Rohit. He looked so different from what he looked on TV. Especially with the new hair colour, I could not identify him,” the guard admitted embarrassingly.

When contacted, Sharma admitted about the incident with a touch of amusement in his voice. “Yes, the guard episode did happen sometime ago.”