Rohit Sharma draws huge crowd in Vijay Hazare Trophy match; fans chant, ‘Gambhir, are you watching?’

Wherever Rohit Sharma went, the chants followed. During Mumbai’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Sikkim, every time he looked at the stands, more than 10,000 spectators made it a point to make him feel at home.

At one point in time, it seemed like Rohit was playing in front of his home crowd in Mumbai and not at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. For thousands of cricket fans here, Wednesday morning was all about catching glimpses of Rohit and soaking in every moment.

With the Rajasthan Cricket Association making entry free for the spectators hours before the toss, there were huge queues outside the stadium, with everyone wanting to grab the ‘best possible seat’. While some managed to get it, several others were just happy to get into the stadium to watch the erstwhile India captain in action.

People travelled hundreds of kilometres and braved challenging weather conditions to reach the stadium early in the morning.

Rahul Kumawat, for instance, came all the way from Bharatpur in a state transport bus, just to be in time for the match to begin. “Who knows this could be the last time we are watching Rohit bhai play here, and being his die-hard fan, I could not afford to miss out,” Kumawat told Sportstar.

ALSO READ: Where to watch Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in the first round of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26?

Outside the Amar Jawan Jyoti gate, several spectators were seen requesting the security personnel to let them get in. Though the officials tried their best to ensure the crowd was managed properly, a few over-enthusiastic bunch had their way.

A few managed to reach the South Pavilion gate, which is close to the Mumbai dressing room, to get the ‘best picture of Rohit’, but were shooed away by the police and the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit.

Half an hour into the game, the crowd suddenly spotted national selector R.P. Singh watching the proceedings, and soon, there were chants like, “ Gambhir dekh raha hai na, Rohit ka jalwa’ (Is Gautam Gambhir watching Rohit’s stardom)”.

However, with the security officials acting strictly, the crowd dispersed from the players’ arena.

But Rohit did not disappoint the fans. In between the overs, he waved at them and even allowed them to click a few pictures from the other side of the fence. And that was enough to bring smiles to their faces.

With the winter vacation starting from Thursday, hundreds of school students could also be seen cheering for Rohit. As one of the students revealed, a few of his friends had bunked school to watch the Indian star.

And, it indeed, was a day to remember for them.

Published on Dec 24, 2025