Babar Azam to Rohit Sharma: “apna phone rakhein” – A hilarious tale from the 2023 world cup

Indian captain Rohit Sharma's forgetfulness is legendary, with Imam-ul-Haq sharing a humorous story involving him.

Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma has earned a reputation for his forgetfulness, with numerous stories circulating within the cricket world about his tendency to leave behind personal belongings, including his phone and even his passport.

These tales of clumsiness have become part of cricketing lore, and Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq recently shared a particularly funny incident involving Rohit on Cricwick’s Ultra Edge podcast.

Imam was asked what he would do if he woke up as a fellow cricketer, including Rohit Sharma. He responded humorously, saying: “I’d check where I put everything last night—my shoes, my phone, my belt, and who I messaged. Rohit has a different level of personality. He forgets where he keeps his gloves and bats!”

The story Imam shared about Rohit’s forgetfulness was equally amusing as he recounted a tale told to him by former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, which took place before the 2023 World Cup.

According to Imam, Babar described a captain’s meeting where Rohit had bought a new iPhone and AirPods. “Rohit left his iPhone behind, then left it on the plane, and his AirPods every two minutes. He was cursing himself, wondering, ‘What am I doing?’”

Imam continued, “Babar told me that twice he had to remind Rohit, saying, ‘Rohit bhai, apna phone rakhein,’ (please keep your phone with you).” Rohit even had to call his manager to report that he had left his AirPods behind, demonstrating his frequent lapses in memory.

Imam also shared lighthearted comments about other cricketers. If he woke up as Virat Kohli, he joked that he would have black coffee. If he woke up as David Warner, he quipped, “I would watch a Tamilian movie for sure. One way or another, I would get an IPL contract.”

Despite these lighthearted moments, Imam has had a challenging year in 2024. He hasn’t been part of Pakistan's active squad, with his last appearance for the team coming during the Boxing Day Test against Australia in 2023 at the MCG.

Currently, Pakistan is on a tour of South Africa, aiming to complete a series whitewash over the Proteas in the ODI series ahead of a one-off Test match on Boxing Day.

Meanwhile, Imam-ul-Haq recently voiced his concerns regarding the country's cricket selectors, criticizing their approach to player selection. In a podcast discussion, Imam accused the selectors of fostering a culture of inconsistency, claiming that players are selected based on favoritism rather than merit.

“There’s a liking and disliking approach,” Imam explained, highlighting the disparity in opportunities given to players with similar abilities. “If one player is given 15 matches while another gets only three, you’re creating problems for yourself,” he said, expressing his frustration with what he perceives as biased selection criteria.