Rohit Sharma Reunites with Deccan Chargers Legend in Australia to Excite Hyderabad Fans

Australian legend Adam Gilchrist interestingly captained Deccan Chargers' 2009 IPL-winning squad, where he played alongside Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma Reunites with Deccan Chargers Legend in Australia to Excite Hyderabad Fans

Former Deccan Chargers' teammates Rohit Sharma and Adam Gilchrist interacted on the pitch, ahead of 2nd ODI against India. (via India Today)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

In a nostalgic reunion for Deccan Chargers fans, Rohit Sharma met with Australian legend and former Chargers’ teammate Adam Gilchrist, ahead of the second ODI between India and Australia in Adelaide. Gilchrist took to social media to share pictures of his meetup, with a caption. 

Rohit Sharma is seemingly nearing the dawn of his career, having already announced his retirement from two out of the three formats. Sharma however, seeks to continue playing ODIs for the Men in Blue with an aim to feature in the upcoming 2027 ICC ODI World Cup, a trophy that eludes his decorated cabinet. The ace opener however, lost his ODI captaincy this month, with Shubman Gill replacing him in the role. 

An IPL veteran, Rohit Sharma remains the most decorated player in the competition’s history with six titles to his name. He won his first IPL title as vice-captain of the now-defunct franchise Deccan Chargers back in 2009, before going on to lead Mumbai Indians to five trophies. He played for the Hyderabad-based franchise from 2008 to 2010, sharing the dressing room with some of the greatest cricketers.

Among them was Australian great Adam Gilchrist, with the duo catching up at the Adelaide Oval. A video of their interaction went viral on social media, where the 53-year-old retired icon and Rohit Sharma shared a message for the fans, recalling the mysterious term ‘Kepke’. Its meaning remains a close secret between former Chargers’ teammates Gilchrist, Sharma and Herschelle Gibbs. 

On Instagram, Adam Gilchrist also shared pictures of his reunion, penning an emotional note for the 38-year-old Indian opener. He praised Sharma by noting his pleasure of having played against and with him, recalling their friendship.

Gilchrist talked about their first meeting at the Adelaide Oval during the 2008 Commonwealth Bank series, to their time together playing for Deccan Chargers in the IPL, before the two legends shared a hug. He wrote on IG:

This bloke reminded me today it was standing on this very ground, the beautiful Adelaide Oval, when we first met each other in 2008. It was just when we’d both been bought by the Deccan Chargers, in the very first Iplt20 auction. From there a friendship was born.

In fact, the 2008 CB tri-series between India, hosts Australia and Sri Lanka was the first time that Rohit Sharma played for the Men in Blue in the 50-over format. Sharma had scored a crucial 66 runs off 87 balls in the first out of the two finals, to help the Indian team win by six wickets.  

Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking heroics in vain as India lose to Australia in Adelaide thriller

Rohit Sharma scored a gritty 73 runs off 97 deliveries in the second ODI against Australia, coming back from the slump that he had endured in the first ODI. The ace opener’s innings however, went in vain, as the home side chased down India’s 265-run target in 47 overs, winning by two wickets. 

Rohit Sharma records
Rohit Sharma broke several records in the second ODI against Australia, in Adelaide. (via NDTV Sports)

Rohit Sharma did break several records in the process, as he brought up his 59th half-century in the ODIs. The former Indian captain became the second highest run-scorer as an opener for the Men in Blue in the 50-over format. He also overtook Adam Gilchrist and Sourav Ganguly to become the fourth highest run-scorer as an opener, with a tally of 9,219 runs in 186 innings at a remarkable average of 54.55.

Sharma also became the first Indian player to complete 1,000 runs against Australia in the country itself, having notched up 1,071 runs in 21 innings at an average of 56.36. Despite the effort, India could only post a first innings total of 264 runs in Adelaide, with Shreyas Iyer also contributing with a much-needed 61 run-knock off 77 deliveries. Axar Patel scored 44 runs off 41 balls, while Harshit Rana added 24 runs.

However, Australia chased the target down in 46.2 overs, despite losing eight wickets in the second innings. Matthew Short scored 74 off 78 balls, while Cooper Connolly scored 61 off 53 balls. Adam Zampa was named POTM for his match-winning bowling figures of 4/60, in his ten-over spell.

Also Read: