Rohit’s best stroke of all took Nilam all the way back to Lanka
Cricket, we know, transcends all boundaries. Indeed we saw it on our TV screens last Sunday at the 2018 Nidahas Trophy final where die-hard Lankan fans cheered for India and the Indian cricket team waved the Sri Lankan flag as a gesture of appreciation for the local fan support, after winning the tournament, beating Bangladesh in a thrilling final.
But away from the spotlight and the pressure of the tense tournament, Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma found the time to fulfil his promise to a local friend and fan Mohamed Nilam, making a surprise visit to his home at Gothatuwa.
This story begins during
Sri Lanka’s tour of India in late 2017. Nilam and two other local fans had flown to India to watch the matches and support their team. Nilam was having dinner with his friends one night when he suddenly got a call from home informing him that his father had been diagnosed with throat cancer. “I was really upset since as my return flight was on December 26 and I had no way of going back before that as I had no money for an immediate flight booking,” he recalls. Hearing of Nilam’s distress from a mutual friend, Rohit Sharma, had immediately stepped in to arrange for his quick return to Colombo. “When I said that I am supposed to stay until the entire tournament is over, he told me that we could watch cricket whenever we want but now I have to be with my father,” Nilam recalls Rohit’s unforgettable words.
Rohit had also promised Nilam that he would visit his home to see his father when he was in
Sri Lanka next.
“Rohit even offered financial support for my father’s surgery but I refused the money. The help he did is more than enough for me and I value it more than money,” Nilam told the Sunday Times.
Nilam considers himself extremely blessed to count some leading cricketers as his friends. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, who was out of India at that time also learned the news and inquired about Nilam’s father’s condition. “It was an honour for me that Virat was so modest enough to call me,” Nilam says. It was not just Indian cricketers who were concerned. Nilam reveals that Shahid Afridi, former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, had also contacted him over the phone.
Keeping his promise, Rohit had visited Nilam’s home in Colombo on last Friday, March 16 when the Indian Cricket team was in Sri Lanka for the Nidhas Trophy tri-nation series tournament.
“Our house is situated in a narrow lane. Rohit got down from his vehicle from the main road and walked through that narrow path on foot,” Nilam said. Rohit had spent some time there and also visited Nilam’s father’s home close by.
Needless to say, in this passionate cricket fan’s fund of cricketing memories, this act of friendship will be unforgettable.