‘Where’s the rest of you?’ Brendon McCullum teases Rohit Sharma’s weight loss, gets apt reply; Eoin Morgan startled

As Rohit Sharma attended the India vs England semi-final and boosted his teammates' morale, his remarkable weight loss impressed former players.

Updated on: Mar 6, 2026, 13:29:48 IST

Written by Aditya Bhattacharya

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Rohit Sharma was in the house as India defeated England to book their place in the T20 World Cup final. The former World Cup-winning captain, who led India to the title in the USA and West Indies two years ago, presented the silverware and handed over the match ball before the start of play, while his interactions with members of both the Indian and England camps stole the spotlight even before the first ball was bowled.

Brendon McCullum and Rohit Sharma before the match (Screengrab)

Rohit met and greeted his India teammates Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj and bowling coach Morne Morkel before heading to the England dugout. There, former stars Eoin Morgan and Brendon McCullum were left gobsmacked by Rohit’s physical transformation. Rohit shedding weight – close to 10 kilos and counting – is no secret. But as he continues to slim down in pursuit of his World Cup dream, every public appearance makes the change even more noticeable.

Also Read: Suryakumar Yadav’s heart raced at 160–175; skipper asked Harry Brook ‘How much more do we need to score against you?’

“In the shape of your life. What’s going on?” asked Morgan, to which Rohit replied, “Just chilling. However, it was McCullum’s remark that summed up the former India captain’s transformation. “Where’s the rest of you?” he remarked, to which Rohit aptly said, “It’s all gone”.

When Rohit met Surya, his words were a big confidence booster. When Surya asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to pull it off?”, Rohit replied, “Yeah, obviously! We played so well in the last match too.” He even told Morne Morkel not to worry, saying the wind would remain constant throughout the match.

Watch the clip below:

India one step away from glory

This was the third straight T20 World Cup semi-final between India and England. In 2022, England romped home by 10 wickets before India gained their revenge two years later. Last night, Suryakumar’s heart would have been in his mouth as Jacob Bethell threatened to run away with the game, but Jasprit Bumrah’s final two overs, conceding just 15 runs, proved to be the game-changer. Having played all his IPL cricket at the Wankhede Stadium, Bumrah had familiar faces around him, including Rohit, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma – teammates he has shared the dressing room with at the MI – making it a fitting stage for him to produce another moment of magic.

India are now one step away from becoming the most successful T20I team in the world. If they beat New Zealand in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad, India would become the only side to win the T20 World Cup three times. However, the Men in Blue will be wary of one troubling statistic: they have never beaten New Zealand in a T20 World Cup.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aditya Bhattacharya
Aditya Bhattacharya is the Sports Editor at Hindustan Times Digital, with close to 15 years of experience in sports journalism. Over the course of his career, he has worked with leading media organisations including Cricbuzz, The Times of India, Network18 and Zee. Primarily a cricket writer, Aditya has covered several marquee events, including the 2016 ICC World T20, the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and the 2023 World Cup in India. His reporting portfolio also includes international cricket across England, South Africa and New Zealand, along with forays into tennis, including coverage of the Australian Open. He has interviewed several prominent athletes across sports. Aditya began his career with a brief stint at CricketNext before getting his first major break at Cricbuzz, where he was part of the Times Network’s startup venture GoCricket, which later merged with Cricbuzz. After nearly 18 months there, he moved to The Times of India, covering his first World Cup assignment and reporting first-hand on landmark moments such as Virat Kohli’s iconic innings against Australia in Mohali. During his three-year tenure, he played a key role in both reporting and desk operations and was recognised as TOI Employee of the Quarter in 2016. He later joined Zee, where he covered the 2019 World Cup across five venues in England—an assignment he considers a career highlight. At Hindustan Times, Aditya’s leadership came to the fore as he was promoted to lead the sports team within 18 months. Under his stewardship, the section has delivered extensive coverage of global sporting events, including the IPL, Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. In 2024, he was named HT DigiStar of the Year. Aditya continues to adapt to the evolving digital publishing landscape, with a sharp focus on search and audience engagement. Outside work, he occasionally plays the guitar and remains an avid gamer.Read More

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