Talent – an apparently heartening term that has followed
Rohit Sharma around like a shadow; even haunted him at times. It seems to be a
burden that the cricketing fraternity has enforced upon him and, after more
than a decade in the national setting, he has been weighed down by the label.
Harsha Bhogle spoke of whispers in the domestic
circuit; of coaches and scouts spotting the effortless, free-flowing
stroke-play of a Mumbai teenager. Having cruised through first-class cricket,
with an average well above 50, he shot to the limelight when he scored a brisk
unbeaten triple-hundred at the Ranji level.
It all began after an injury to an in-form
Yuvraj Singh in the 2007 World T20, when Rohit was called upon as a last-minute
emergency replacement to play a league game against the hosts. After a lackluster start to the Indian innings, the 20-year-old strode out into
Kingsmead and stroked his way to a fluent half-century against the likes of
Pollock, Ntini, and Morkel as though he were having a net session. He showed
startling maturity under pressure to survive till the end of the innings,
escorting India to a respectable total that they ultimately defended, knocking
South Africa out of the tournament in their own backyard.
Indians have a thing for like-for-like
replacements. More specifically, they have a thing for spotting similarities
with the days gone by. Deep within the stat-obsessed Indian, there lies a
cricketing romantic who is struck by nostalgia when manifested with the idea of
an elegant-looking batsman with a free-flowing batting style from Mumbai.
That's right – Rohit Sharma was touted to be the Great Sachin Tendulkar's
long-destined successor at number 4 in the Test batting line-up. After all, it
added up: so much time to play his shots, effortless stroke-making capabilities
even against express pace, and a wide repertoire of shots. This had to be God's
gift to cricket in the post-Tendulkar era, right?
Rohit was subsequently picked for the ODI team
on a selection whim after his burst of vital performances in the World T20 and
his impressive Ranji Trophy record. He made an impression in the CB series Down
Under, playing some crucial cameos against stalwarts like Brett Lee and Stuart
Clark, and a more-than-competent Sri Lankan attack. These inspired away
performances in the World T20 and the CB series caught the eye of the selectors
and warranted him an extended run with the limited-overs side.
However, inconsistency and a knack for gifting
his wicket away meant that he struggled to cement his spot in the side. Critics
pointed out that he had too many shots for the same ball, and this meant that
shot selection was becoming a bit of an issue for him. Furthermore, several
experts spotted that he had trouble playing the short ball since his stance was
too side-on and that he had no back-and-across trigger movement. His pedestrian
batting average of 22 to go with a string of low scores and unconverted starts
meant that he failed to cement a spot in the side for the 2011 Cricket World
Cup squad...
Looking back at his career, Rohit Sharma would have
the Indian Premier League to thank for keeping him in the reckoning and not
being discarded liked several other young and talented cricketers who burst
forth into national reckoning but couldn't make it big at the highest level. In
the first two years of the IPL, his performance stood out, as he made over 350
runs each time for the Deccan Chargers and proved his worth to his franchise.
He was then transferred to the Mumbai Indians franchise in 2011 and has been
one of their most consistent batsmen over the years.
Rohit continued to oscillate in and out of the
Indian eleven without being able to establish himself in the side, having been
given ample opportunities despite a well-established Indian middle-order. Alas,
after making it to the Playing XI for the Nagpur Test against South Africa in
2010, he was lamentably injured in a warm-up football game after coming
heartbreakingly close to receiving the coveted India cap. He was subsequently
ruled out of the series in a gut-wrenching turn of events, and wouldn't get
another opportunity to prove his Test credentials for another 4 years.
Rohit's proved himself on the IPL stage again in
2011 and made a comeback ODI squad for the tour of West Indies where he scored
three half-centuries in five matches. However, this turned out to be another
false dawn as he followed it up with a string of low scores in the CB series in
Australia and a nightmare tour of Sri Lanka with 14 runs in 5 innings,
including 2 ducks. He had already been given a more-than-extended run and was
starting to build an unenviable reputation of a frustratingly fascinating
player.
The generally fickle selectors, surprisingly,
continued to back him. Eventually, due to a lack of contenders for the opener's
spot in ODIs, MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, decided to try him as an opener in
the limited-overs format.
The term 'masterstroke' has always been a bit of
an enigma, historically being used in a vague, result-based manner. The move to
promote Rohit Sharma to the top of the order has paid enough dividends for it
to be termed a masterstroke – India had finally found a candidate for the
opener's spot and Rohit seemed to have finally scripted a turnaround after
almost 5 years in and out of the side. With enough time to play himself in as
an opener, Rohit and Dhawan formed a formidable opening partnership, playing a
substantial role in India's unbeaten and successful Champions' Trophy campaign
in 2013. Still, the talented tag followed him around, and Rohit – at long last
– started to live up to it. In a run-fest of an ODI series against Australia,
Rohit scored 491 runs in 6 outings, culminating in a violent 209 in the
deciding ODI in Bangalore, joining a crème de la crème list of ODI
double-centurions comprised of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
With the retirements of stalwarts like Rahul
Dravid and VVS Laxman, a new crop of Test batsmen needed to be honed and opened
up new avenues in the team. Rohit, at long last, earned the oh-so-desirable
India Test cap against West Indies in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in his
fabled 'predecessor's farewell series. Rohit wasn't going to let this
opportunity go begging and embraced the Test arena immediately, easing his way
to a typically Rohit-Esque 177 in his debut innings; a vital inning in the context
of the match, dragging the momentum India's way. He reinforced his metaphorical
statement to the selectors with an unbeaten 111 in the following Test,
enchanting a tearful Wankhede in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test match and
taming the West Indian bowling attack. After an injury break, Rohit, as if to
make up for a lost time, ripped apart a hapless Sri Lankan attack on his way to
a jaw-dropping 264 – wait for it – in an ODI at the Eden
Gardens, making thirteen runs more than the entire Lankan team managed.
However, a worrying trend continued after the
selectors picked him for the tour to Australia after his Kolkata epic: that of
getting picked for away Test tours based on white-ball performances in less
testing conditions. He was picked after his 209 for the South Africa tour in
late 2013 and looked technically inept in seaming conditions, committing to the
line of the ball too early and playing as if it were a true wicket. His
strength of picking the length early in ODIs was turning into a curse in Test
matches. Similarly, having been picked for the tour of Australia on the back of
his 264, he made just one fifty in 6 innings, looking completely at sea against
the pace-heavy Australian attack, continuously playing away from the body,
trying to hit through the line in conditions conducive to lateral movement and
showing poor off-stump awareness.
Nevertheless, he continued his golden run-in
ODIs, ending the 2015 World Cup campaign as India's second-highest run-scorer
with a total of 330 runs, including a hundred in the quarter-final against
Bangladesh to go with two fifties.
Rohit, the ODI player, finally delivered a
break-through performance as an opener with an impeccable limited-overs tour of
Australia in early 2016, making back-to-back hundreds and a 99 in the series
and finally answering the faith of the selectors and his captain. He had become
a one-day monster who developed a habit started his ODI innings in a slow and
steady manner, but could really lay into any bowling attack once he was in. With
an extended home season, Rohit continued to get chances in Tests and showed
vast improvement in his technique, playing closer to his body and preventing
his ODI game to amalgamate with his more air-tight Test technique. With four the fifties and a hundred in his last 5 innings, he capped off a fruitful home
season with an unprecedented third ODI double-century against a woebegone Sri
Lankan attack.
Eerily enough, Rohit has once again been picked
for the Test series in South Africa based on his performances at home. With the vexatious pattern of getting picked for away tours based on home performances
and no county stints in his CV, Rohit would be looking forward to correcting
the glaring blemish in his record – Test performances outside the subcontinent.
With Ajinkya Rahane, one of the most complete
batsmen in the side, breathing down his neck, Rohit Sharma must be swift in
grabbing his Test opportunities, or he could soon find himself on the bench.
His ODI performance, nonetheless, has been improving by leaps and bounds, as he
caps off a laudable 2017 with 1293 runs and 6 centuries. A more technically
sound batsman now, Rohit has shown improvement against the red ball with
better awareness of his
off-stump, a more compact technique, and a higher degree of patience. However,
unless he is able to convert his ability into overseas runs, his tale will
continue to be one that makes you ponder what could have been.
Mahela Jayawardene
Reveals The Reason Behind The Success Of Rohit Sharma- The Captain:
He is an instinctive leader for sure. But at the same time Rohit
gathers a lot of information as well, I think that’s his strength,” Mahela
Jayawardene said on Sony Ten’s Pit Shop
“We also don’t have long meetings. Yes, we have certain meetings
because that has to be planning you can fall back to when things are not
going well,” he added.
“But Ro does get a lot of information and he likes to know things.
He uses that out there in the middle. That’s how he reacts and all that,’
Jayawardene said.
Even though everyone thinks he is instinctively making those
calls, that information is there. It can be odd times… sometimes you walk into
a team room and you see Ro with the analyst just looking at some things and
all… he gets those little snippets from the guys,” Mahela Jayawardene revealed.
“It’s our job to give him that information because out there in
the middle it’s a tough place to be as a captain. It’s not easy, I have done
that as well,” he added.
“So as long as you are prepared and you are instinctively making
those calls and being proactive, that’s all that you can ask from him and Ro is
brilliant in that.” he added.
Rohit Sharma credits MS Dhoni for his ‘career-changing:
He has been one of India’s most dependable batsman in ODIs and Rohit
Sharma feels that outgoing captain MS Dhoni’s “decision” to make him open
the batting in 50-over format was a “career-changing move”.
“I believe the decision to open in ODIs changed my career and it
was a decision taken by MS Dhoni. I became a better batsman after that. In fact, it helped me understand my game better, react better according to situations,”
Rohit said in an exclusive interview.
He first opened in early 2013 against England during
the home series, scoring 80 odd runs, and followed that up with a steady show in
the Champions Trophy. So does he remember how he was approached, Rohit
recollects it was in customary MSD style — in a very matter-of-fact manner.
“He (Dhoni) just came up
to me and said ‘I want you to open the innings as I am confident that you will
do well. Since you can play both cut and pull shot well, you have the qualities
to succeed as an opener,” Rohit said.
“He told me that I shouldn’t be scared of failures or get upset
by criticism. He was looking at the bigger picture as the Champions Trophy was
scheduled in England that year,” said Rohit, the only player in world cricket
with two double hundreds in ODIs.
According to Rohit, Dhoni’s reading of a player’s ability is
peerless. “The Champions Trophy in England made me confident that I can open
and ready to face challenges of playing white ball in English conditions in the
morning.”
“I got 65 against South Africa, who had Morne Morkel, Ryan
McLaren, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rory Kleinveldt. Morne and McLaren were hitting
three-quarter length and Tsotsobe was swinging it. The skipper was confident
that I could handle the situation and I did,” the world record holder for the highest
individual score in ODIs said.
“With no disrespect to other great Indian captains, I was
blessed to play under MS all these years. His calmness in pressure situations
helped us. He always led from the front. There won’t be one like him.”
Rohit is recuperating from a thigh surgery after having
sustained a muscle injury during the New Zealand ODIs. He is disappointed but
takes it in his stride. “You can’t do anything about it and I have been in
situations like this before. What disappointed me was the fact that the injury
happened just when I was in rhythm scoring three successive 50s against New
Zealand in Test matches. The pitches against England were good batting strips
and it would have been enjoyable,” he lamented.
Karun Nair hit a triple hundred against England. Does it
make him insecure that he would have to fight with Karun once he is back from
injury? “I have never ever been an unsecured person and the reason being I know
how to move on in life. What would have happened if I wouldn’t have got injured
is irrelevant. The fact is Karun got his chance and played brilliantly and
should be applauded. In fact, I saw a bit of it when Karun and KL (Rahul) were
batting. It was top quality stuff,” the senior pro lavished praise on the
youngsters.
“But credit to Ashwin, Shami, and Jadeja for bowling brilliantly
in the series.”
On the personal front, Rohit has completed eight weeks of his rehab
since suffering a thigh muscle injury, which required surgery. “Well, I can’t
set an exact date on when I will return to competitive cricket. I am told it
would take 12-14 weeks for complete recovery. It means anything between four to
six weeks from now,” Rohit informed.
“I have started running and from next week I will start with my
batting drills. First, the basic drills, followed by batting against bowling
machine followed by a proper net session.”
He needs to play some domestic cricket and Vijay Hazare Trophy
is scheduled at the end of next month. “I don’t know about the Australia series but
I need to play some practice games. I would like to speak to Mumbai CA if I
could play some club games. The problem is that I have not played club cricket
for more than 10 years so I am not aware of current procedures and stuff
like that,” said Rohit, who will be required during India’s Champions Trophy
defense in England.
Despite stellar performances in shorter formats, Rohit has faced
a lot of criticism but after 150 plus ODIs and 20 plus Tests, the stylish
right-hander knows dignified silence is the best policy.
“During my earlier days, it did bother me as to what people
thought about my game. Now I am not bothered as I have learned that I can’t stop
anyone from criticizing. I am not a kid that I should get affected by sharp
criticism. Rather than that, I would spend quality time in getting better as a
cricketer.”
He said the days at rehab were spent on recovery and quality
time with family. “I am a strong person but my wife Ritika is even stronger
than me. She is my strength and when I come back home, I can take my mind off
my profession and talk about something completely different. That’s how it has
been,” concluded Rohit.
IPL through the years
The IPL has done a lot for Rohit Sharma. When he
was a young, talented batsman who struggled with consistency, the IPL gave him
a ticket to stay relevant, and he grabbed it with both hands during his time
with the Deccan Chargers from 2008-2010, scoring over 350 runs in each of the
three seasons. Then the IPL took him back to his home of Mumbai, and Rohit
couldn't have been happier. His statistics with the Mumbai Indians got
progressively better from 2011-13, and eventually his best IPL season in 2013 -
where he finished the tournament with 538 runs - coincided with MI's maiden
title win.
And finally, the IPL helped unveil a leadership
side to Rohit Sharma that has impressed a lot of people. In six years as
captain, Rohit has led MI to three IPL titles which is an amazing
accomplishment. Rohit is among the all-time top run-scorers in the IPL, only
behind Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli. He is the most successful IPL captain,
along with MS Dhoni, with three titles. And he has 34 IPL fifties, just two
behind the top-most number held by David Warner and Gautam Gambhir.
World Cup through the years
India's right-handed opener, one who established
himself a little late in his career at the top of the order, has become a vital
cog in India's limited-overs set-up, particularly after his spectacular
performances in Australia in the limited-overs series in early 2016. The only
man to score three double hundreds in ODIs was a plaudit that exhibited
remarkable talent, but not consistency. Sharma, however, has changed that in
the last few years, at least in the white-ball game, and goes into 2019
World Cup as the World's second-ranked batsman after his captain. His record in
the one World Cup he has been a part of - 2015 - has been excellent, with 330
runs in 8 innings, including 2 fifties and a hundred, at an average of 47.14.
Even between the 2015 edition and the 2019 edition, Sharma has evolved as a
batsman and will certainly play a major role if India is to compete for the
cricket world's most coveted trophy.
Batting
Career Summary
|
M
|
Inn
|
NO
|
Runs
|
HS
|
Avg
|
BF
|
SR
|
100
|
200
|
50
|
4s
|
6s
|
|
Test
|
38
|
64
|
8
|
2615
|
212
|
46.7
|
4478
|
58.4
|
7
|
1
|
12
|
274
|
59
|
|
ODI
|
227
|
220
|
32
|
9205
|
264
|
48.96
|
10354
|
88.9
|
29
|
3
|
43
|
832
|
244
|
|
T20I
|
111
|
103
|
14
|
2864
|
118
|
32.18
|
2061
|
138.96
|
4
|
0
|
22
|
252
|
133
|
|
IPL
|
206
|
201
|
28
|
5445
|
109
|
31.47
|
4175
|
130.42
|
1
|
0
|
40
|
472
|
223
|
Bowling
Career Summary
|
M
|
Inn
|
B
|
Runs
|
Wkts
|
BBI
|
BBM
|
Econ
|
Avg
|
SR
|
5W
|
10W
|
|
Test
|
38
|
16
|
383
|
224
|
2
|
1/26
|
1/35
|
3.51
|
112.0
|
191.5
|
0
|
0
|
|
ODI
|
227
|
38
|
593
|
515
|
8
|
2/27
|
2/27
|
5.21
|
64.38
|
74.12
|
0
|
0
|
|
T20I
|
111
|
9
|
68
|
113
|
1
|
1/22
|
1/22
|
9.97
|
113.0
|
68.0
|
0
|
0
|
|
IPL
|
206
|
31
|
338
|
449
|
15
|
4/6
|
4/6
|
7.97
|
29.93
|
22.53
|
0
|
0
|
