India and Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is a rare cricketer to have lifted both Indian Premier League trophies and a WWE Championship belt.
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Winner of five IPL titles, Sharma didn’t participate in a WWE match in the ring but received the belt as a badge of honour for leading the franchise to a title for the third time during the 10th season of the IPL six years ago. A narrow 1-run victory allowed Mumbai to defeat Rising Pune Supergiants in IPL 2017 final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
It it to be noted that it wasn’t for the first time when Triple H had gifted a customized belt to a sporting team or an athlete. Legendary Basketball player LeBron James also received one after winning the NBA title in 2016 with Cleveland Cavaliers. WNBA star Sure Bird, former Chelsea footballer John Terry are some of the other names to have posed with a WWE belt in the past.
For those unversed, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is an American professional wrestling promotion. Triple H, a former champion, currently works as a CCO (chief content officer) at WWE.
Rohit Sharma Once Lifted WWE Championship Belt Gifted By Triple H
IPL 2017 final remains one of the most tightly-contested finals in the history of the cash-rich league. Having already lifted the silverware in 2013 and 2015, MI became the first-ever team to win the prestigious title thrice. Popularly known as “The Game”, Triple H congratulated the franchise where he promised to give them a belt.
With Triple H keeping his promise, Mumbai also posted a few pictures across their social media platform where captain Sharma was flaunting the belt on his shoulders.
Interestingly, Indian-origin Canadian wrestler Jinder Mahal won his first WWE Championship by defeating Randy Orton on the same day.
How Many Championships Has Rohit Sharma Won As Captain?
Been handed the captaincy at MI in a crisis situation right in the middle of the IPL 2013, Sharma has emerged as one of the most successful T20 captains.
In addition winning the IPL in the aforementioned years, Sharma also became only the second captain to lead his team to consecutive IPL title in 2019 and 2020. Apart from IPL, a 26-year old Sharma also managed to power Indians to a Champions League Twenty20 title in 2013.
Sharma, who has been leading India across formats since last year, has done quite well in bilateral series till now. Readers must note that India managed to win their first 10 series under Sharma’s leadership. Additionally, he also has the distinction of leading India to title victories in Nidahas Trophy and Asia Cup 2018.
One of the three captains to have led India to losses in ICC tournaments since their last global title win a decade ago, Sharma should be desperate to turn things around during ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. With India hosting an ODI World Cup after 12 years, it is high time that they end a rut with respect to losing knockout matches during world events.
