Rohit Sharma has turned 38 and the India legend is celebrating his birthday at the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp. Rohit is one of the best batters in the history of cricket and he owns multiple records.

Howveer, the journey wasn't an easy one for Rohit as he was in and out of the national team from 2007 to 2013.MS Dhoni always backed him and his decision to make Rohit an opener did wonders for him. There has been no looking back for Rohit since then and he continues to dominate international cricket.However, Dhoni also once ignored Rohit and didn't include him in the 2011 ODI World Cup squad.

Former India selector Raja Venkat, who was part of the selection panel for the ODI WC team, revealed an interesting tale.As per him, Dhoni picked for Piyush Chawla ahead of Rohit. Piyush, who last played for India in 2012, is a spinner while Rohit was a middle-order batsman back then."When we sat to select the team, Rohit was very much in the scheme of things. Yashpal Sharma and I were in South Africa at that time because India was touring South Africa, and the other three selectors - Srikkanth, (Surendra) Bhave and (Narendra) Hirwani - were in Chennai. So, when we were selecting the team, numbers 1-14, every name was accepted by the panel. No. 15, we suggested the name of Rohit Sharma. Gary Kirsten also felt it was a perfect selection. But the captain wanted Piyush Chawla. So immediately, Kirsten somersaulted. He said: 'I think that's a better choice.' So, that is how Rohit Sharma got left out," Venkat had told RevSportz in 2023."We didn't get a chance to talk to him, but again we were also disappointed that we couldn't select him. But when the captain and coach wanted Piyush as the 15th member, we all accepted it. Initially, we had selected the 15 which we all felt was the right one."Rohit cemented his spot in the ODI team in 2013 and made it to the 2015 and 2019 World Cup teams. He captained the Men in Blue to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the home team lost to Australia. Under Rohit, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy.