Rohit Sharma turns 33: Hitman's ironic IPL hat-trick against Mumbai Indians; watch video

Indian limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world at the moment. Having made his international debut in 2007, the right-handed batsman is the only cricketer to amass three double-centuries in ODIs and four centuries in T20Is. Rohit Sharma also leads a popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Mumbai Indians. To commemorate Rohit Sharma's 33rd birthday, we take a look back at the time when the cricketer won a match with a ball in hand.

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Rohit Sharma birthday: Revisiting 2009 Rohit Sharma hat-trick

Rohit Sharma started his IPL career for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers team. Playing the 2009 edition in South Africa, the Deccan Chargers side went up against Mumbai Indians in Centurion on May 6. Rohit Sharma, who was only 22 years old at the time, scored 38 to propel Deccan Chargers to 145-6 while batting first. While Mumbai Indians were cruising to victory during their run-chase, Sharma was handed over the ball in the 16th over of the innings.

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Rohit Sharma immediately made an impact as he accounted for the wickets of Abhishek Nayar, Harbhajan Singh and JP Duminy in successive deliveries to complete a hat-trick. Two balls later, he dismissed Saurabh Tiwary to complete four wickets in five balls to finish the game with figures of 4-6 in two overs. Deccan Chargers eventually won the match by 19 runs on the back of Rohit Sharma hat-trick and his crucial contribution of 38.

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Rohit Sharma birthday: The irony behind Rohit Sharma hat-trick

Ironically, this Rohit Sharma hat-trick came against Mumbai Indians, a franchise which he would later join from the 2011 edition. He was then appointed as its captain from 2013 and continues to serve the role to date. Apart from winning IPL 2009 as a player for Deccan Chargers, he has led Mumbai Indians to four IPL titles. He led them to victories in the 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 editions of the cash-rich T20 tournament.

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Image Credits: CRICMAX YouTube channel