The ‘Number 45’ era in Indian cricket, synonymous with Rohit Sharma, appears to be concluding. Rohit Sharma, who has made the number 45 iconic in Indian cricket, is still popular with fans. Having already retired from T20 and Test formats, his journey in ODI cricket has also reached its end. While selected for the ODI series against Australia, he was removed from the captaincy. Following this decision, a tweet from Rohit Sharma quickly went viral, causing a stir among his fans.
On October 4, the BCCI announced the Indian team for the Australia tour, with the significant decision to replace the captain. Rohit, who led India to a Champions Trophy victory in March, was removed as the ODI captain. This change signaled the end of Rohit’s captaincy in all three formats within a year and a half. Shubman Gill, who had already taken over the Test captaincy from Rohit, was appointed the new captain for the team.
Soon after the captaincy change was announced, an old tweet from the former Indian captain resurfaced on social media. This tweet, dating back 13 years, discussed the numbers 45 and 77. Rohit had written in this tweet, “The end of an era (45) and the beginning of a new one (77).”
Number 45 is closely linked to Rohit, and number 77 has become the identity of the new captain, Shubman Gill. Gill has worn the number 77 jersey in international cricket since joining the team. However, Rohit also had a past connection with this number. The star batsman tweeted this on September 14, 2012, when he was preparing for the T20 World Cup. At that time, Rohit wore the number 45 jersey, but his spot in the team wasn’t guaranteed, and his performance was not at its best. He wore the number 77 jersey during that World Cup, which prompted this tweet.
Rohit’s connection with number 45 is so strong that few fans recall him wearing the number 77. Now, by coincidence, the same number 77 is replacing him as the Indian captain after 13 years. After Rohit’s post went viral, fans were amazed and jokingly described him as a future predictor. Some fans wrote that Rohit had predicted his own future.