ICC CWC 2023: Rohit Sharma opens up on meeting David Beckham, talks about iconic footballer's cricket connection
Nov 18, 2023
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], November 19 : Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Saturday revealed his experience of meeting football legend David Beckham and how the icon has a connection with cricket.
A lot of nostalgia will be in the air when India takes to the field for their ICC Cricket World Cup final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After registering a heavy loss to Aussies 20 years back in a title clash in South Africa, Men in Blue will be aiming to avenge that painful memory and write another glorious chapter of its cricket history with their third 50-over World Cup title win, that too at home.
Beckham was in India and watched India's semifinal clash against New Zealand in Mumbai on November 15. He is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. The International Cricket Council has entered into a partnership with UNICEF to empower women and girls and promote inclusion and gender equality through cricket.
"He (Beckham) told me he wanted to become a cricketer but things did not work out and he took up football. His father was quite keen on him becoming a footballer," said Rohit to Australian skipper Pat Cummins in a video by ICC.
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Later on being asked about meeting Beckham in an interview, Rohit, who is also the brand ambassador of Spanish football league La Liga said, "I am a huge football fan. He has played with one of my favourite football clubs, Real Madrid. I had the chance to speak to him about his time with the club. It was nice to catch up on cricket and football, he was keen to know about what happens with us, how do we prepare etc. He was at the stadium in the semis and it was quite hot. So he asked us how we manage. I was trying to explain to him that you have to focus on recovery, hydrate yourself and look after your body. We had a nice 15-20 mins chat together. We also talked about our families, and children."
Beckham is considered as one of the best footballers of all time. He has represented England at national level and made over 100 appearances for them from 1996-2009. The midfielder also represented iconic football clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and LA Galaxy in his decorated career. With these clubs, he has won prestigious titles like the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League titles.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (C), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
