Sharma's story of becoming Indian Cricket's most dependable batsman begins in a single-room house in Dombivli- his father could earn barely enough to sustain his family. Financial crunch meant that a young Rohit lived with his grandparents in Borivali. He visited his family from time to time, but his parents' absence was a glaring void still.

Lad then promoted him from batting at number eight to opening the batting after he saw Rohit in the nets. From an off-spinner, he became a pure batsman. He impressed in the Harris and Giles Shield and scored a century on his debut. Rohit's rise through school and the domestic levels was rapid.

Everyone who watched him bat was amused by his lazy elegance. It was said that Rohit had that extra 1.5 seconds while batting, which made him virtually invincible at the crease. Soon, he found himself among the big boys when the t20 World Cup came. Stalwarts of the team opted out and Rohit was immediately called up to the side.

Rohit impressed in the CB series that was to follow and seem to be destined to become Tendulkar's successor. But, his fall was as drastic as his rise. Despite the abundance of talent, Rohit consistently gave inconsistent performances and eventually, missed out on being selected for the World Cup in 2011.

He got back into the side on the back of strong performances in the IPL, but his international career continued to tank. He sunk to new lows when he could only muster 14 runs in 5 games against Sri Lanka. Somehow, Rohit made it into the Champions Trophy squad in 2013. He had no idea what was in store for him in England.

The next day, he took the strike first up and looked jittery at the crease in the beginning. But now, he had the time to calm his nerves and settle down at the crease. He stitched a 100+ opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan and that really set the momentum for the rest of the tournament. India went on to win and Rohit now looked to cement his place in the side.

Any questions that lingered in the minds of critics were answered soon enough. In a run-fest of a series against Australia, Rohit top-scored with 491 runs in 5 games- including a coveted double century in the last game which elevated him to an elite club of names. A year later, he made a place for himself in the record books when he scored 264 against Sri Lanka- the highest individual score in ODI cricket.

From that point on, Rohit shed the tag of just being "a talented player" and converted that talent into performances on the field. 2013 was really the turning point of his career. Not only did he become a more consistent batsman, but he has also led his IPL team, Mumbai Indians to a record five titles- no other side comes close to that number.

Sharma has rescued the team from a number of precarious situations, starting off slow and teeing off at the end. His habit of making "daddy hundreds" has instilled a fear in bowlers' minds that is paralleled by very few others. Needless to say, it'd be nothing less than a blessing for Indian Cricket if he continues to bat and give bowlers nightmares as he does right now.