NEW DELHI: Former India captain Rohit Sharma has revealed the unlikely comfort food he would turn to during sleepless nights in the middle of Test matches, recalling how the pressure of his favourite format often left him nervous and craving a late-night snack.Rohit, who played 67 Tests for India between 2013 and 2024, opened up about his midnight cravings on his television show, ‘Family Full House with Rohit Sharma’. He revealed that his mother’s homemade banana wafers became his go-to comfort food during those long nights on Test match duty.“Haan, hoti toh hai. Main jhooth nahi bolunga, lekin jab bhi main Test match khelta tha, andar bahut nervousness hoti thi. Toh Test match ke time khaas karke, kyunki yeh mera favourite format tha, Test match khelna,” Rohit said.The former opener called time on his Test career last year after scoring 4,301 runs in 67 matches at an average of 40.57, including 12 centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score in the format was 212.
‘Nervousness mein mujhe neend nahi aati thi’
Rohit explained that the demands of Test cricket often made it difficult for him to switch off after a day’s play.“Kyunki Test match khelna aasaan format nahi hai. Koi bhi format aasaan nahi hota, lekin Test match ke apne alag-alag challenges hote the. Toh Test match ke liye main hamesha nervous rehta tha aur nervousness mein mujhe neend nahi aati thi, toh raat bhar main jaaga rehta tha,” he said.Those sleepless nights, in turn, often brought with them the urge to eat something.“Toh aap jaage rehte ho toh kuch na kuch khaane ka mann karta tha. Toh main hamesha mere saath mera comfort food rakhta tha, jo meri mummy hamesha bana ke deti thi, woh tha banana wafers,” Rohit said.The snack came with a personal touch. Rohit revealed that the banana wafers were made by his mother, who used a baking method rather than frying them.
His mother’s homemade midnight snack
“Woh fried nahi hota tha. Meri mummy ke kuch tareeke the, woh bake karti thi usko aur woh main hamesha apne saath leke chalta tha. Toh kabhi bhi mann karta tha toh usse kha leta tha,” he said.For a batter who spent years dealing with the mental and physical demands of the longest format, the simple homemade snack offered a familiar taste of home during the intensity of Test cricket.
