Rohit Sharma - Hit Man In His Zone

As the big scores keep coming, Rohit Sharma is being hailed as one of India’s finest ODI batsmen

- Neeru Bhatia

For a tournament where rain has played spoilsport, there were fears of the high-voltage India-Pakistan clash also being washed out. There was no rain on the eve of the game as India came out to practise at Old Trafford, but it was cold and windy. As Rohit Sharma left the net session, he asked for the weather forecast for the match day. When told rain was expected in the afternoon, he quipped, “It better stay away or the fans will burn the stadium down.”

On match day, as the teams came out after the rain interruption in the afternoon, Rohit carried in his pocket a sheet with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method calculations printed on it. Occasionally, between overs, the India vice-captain would take a peek at it. He is the team’s DLS man most of the time.

He is also India’s run machine in his own right. Rohit’s centuries against South Africa and Pakistan were different as day and night. His 122 (not out) in India’s opening game was a patiently crafted innings. And, his 140 against Pakistan was his third fastest ton (85 balls)—a fluent, dominant innings, laced with his trademark pulls and cuts.

His high scores are not the result of just bludgeoning the ball but mesmerising strokes that are superbly timed or even innovative. His six over point off Hassan Ali was reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar’s six offShoaib Akhtar during the India-Pakistan encounter in 2003 in Centurion, South Africa. The hundred against Pakistan was his 16th in the last three years. Such has been his form.