Hitman To The Hilt

Rohit Sharma's World Cup was defined by his fearless batting at the top and the role clarity he and coach Rahul Dravid gave their players

- ANIRUDH MADHAVAN

Rohit Sharma scored five centuries in the 2019 World Cup in England. If he wanted, he could I arguably have scored as many this time, too.

But this was a different Rohit Sharma; this time, he was captain, and he had assigned himself a role. He would take down the bowlers in the opening passage of play, throwing them off the line and length, and set the stage for Virat Kohli to be the fulcrum of the innings with others playing around him.

In the first powerplay, he scored 401 runs in 297 balls, hitting 46 fours and 24 sixes at a strike rate of 135.01. The next best strike rate came from Australia's Travis Head, who made 128 in the first powerplay at 121.90.

It was a fearless approach that took the pitch out of the equation and drove oppositions on to the back foot. It was like Sharma had moulded the team in his own image, a process that he and head coach Rahul Dravid had been working on for some time now, especially with fans and experts calling out India's timidness with the bat on big occasions. Even in the final against Australia, Sharma made 47 off 31, striking at 151.61. It was almost as if India were starting with a cheat code every game.

"The way Rahul bhai played his cricket and how I am playing these days, it's quite a contrast," Sharma said in the news conference before the final, a slight smile on his face. "For him to agree and give me that freedom to let us play the way we want to play says a lot about him."

But it was not all 'see ball, hit ball. In a low-scoring match against England, where India made 229, Sharma adapted to the situation and scored a 101-ball 87. He is used to this adaptability, having been India's best Test batter in the past three years.