India skipper Rohit Sharma fined for reckless driving ahead of India vs Bangladesh match

India captain Rohit Sharma is fourth leading run-scorer in World Cup 2023

India's captain Rohit Sharma celebrates after scoring a half-century (AFP via Getty Images)

India captain Rohit Sharma was fined for reckless driving ahead of India’s ICC World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Pune, according to reports.

Sharma has been handed three traffic tickets for overspeeding on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, media reports said. The Indian skipper was travelling from Mumbai to Pune to join Team India for their World Cup game against Bangladesh, which is due to be played on Thursday at the MCA Stadium.

• India vs Bangladesh LIVE: Cricket score and latest updates at ICC World Cup 2023

However, the exact date of the incident is still not known but it is likely to be between Monday and Tuesday this week.

The car which the 36-year-old cricketer was driving when he was fined for overspeeding was a Lamborghini Urus, whose number plate features his highest One-Day International (ODI) score, 264.

Sharma had a memorable outing in the blue shirt when India took on Pakistan at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on 14 October. He scored a 63-ball 86 as India chased down Pakistan’s target of 192 with 18.3 overs and seven wickets to spare.

The Indian captain landed in Pune with the rest of the squad on Sunday. It may be possible that Sharma decided to spend a day with his family in Mumbai as Monday was a rest day for the team. Team India was asked to return to training only on Tuesday evening for their World Cup fixture against Bangladesh.

Sharma had a forgettable start to the ongoing campaign when he was dismissed for a duck against Australia in Chennai. He made up for it by scoring 131 and 86 in the next two matches and is currently the fourth-leading scorer in the tournament.

The opening batter became the first captain in this World Cup to score a century, which marked his 31^st ODI hundred. He overtook Australia legend Ricky Ponting in the third spot in the total ODI century list, with only Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (47) above him.

Sharma would look to continue the same form against Bangladesh, who have defeated India three times in the last four ODIs – twice in a bilateral series in December 2022 and then in the Asia Cup Super Four match recently.