Rohit Sharma's childhood coach Dinesh Lad has revealed a secret connection to the former India captain, but not one related to cricket.
Bollywood actor John Abraham has exposed a little-known fact about former India captain Rohit Sharma's past, and it's not related to the sport. Abraham, who is the co-owner of the Rotterdam Dockers in the European T20 Premier League, revealed during a jersey launch event in Mumbai that he had trained under Rohit's childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, when he was a child.
Abraham's connection to Lad was revealed when he posed for photographs with the coach, prompting him to share the story. "He is Rohit Sharma's batting coach. He was my coach too. This is my gurudakshina to him," Abraham said, using a Hindi term for a tribute or gift to his coach. Abraham also revealed that he had trained under Lad for roughly four months during his childhood.
The connection between Abraham and Lad might come as a surprise to many, but it's a testament to the coach's influence in Indian cricket. Dinesh Lad was the one who spotted Rohit Sharma when he was just 12 years old and admitted him to his school. "I first saw him as a bowler; he was about 12 years old. I saw him playing a match against us. Then I told his uncle (Chacha) to get him admitted to my school," Lad had said earlier on a podcast.
Lad's discovery of Rohit's batting prowess was accidental, but it led to the young cricketer's development into one of the best batsmen in the world. "One day, while entering the school, I saw a boy knocking (batting). From outside, I saw the bat was coming very straight and good," Lad added. "I didn’t know it was Rohit at first. When I went inside, I asked him if he was batting. He said yes, sir. Then I gave him some batting in the nets at number six or seven. Before that, I had never given him batting practice. That was my mistake."
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is preparing to step into an entirely new arena, making his television debut through a brand-new entertainment show set to air on Sony in September 2026. The show, an Indian version of the American show Family Feud, will feature 40 episodes of one hour each, and Rohit will be a part of it.
Source: Yahoo Sports