He has been an enigma; a terror at the crease in the limited-over cricket, but a huge under-achiever in Tests. For Rohit Sharma, this aspect of his batting has only added to the pressure every time he takes guard.
Given his awesome talent, this Mumbai strokeplayer has performed, or not performed, depending on the colour of his clothing.
The other night, he smashed the ball around as if knocking it at the nets or in a charity game where the bowlers oblige you with half-volleys and full tosses.
Striding to the middle with expectations from the crowd sky-high, given his reputation in T20s, Rohit brought the South African attack to its knees with a calculated assault.
For those seeking entertainment, there were shots that landed in the galleries and sent them into delirium. For the old-fashioned it was pleasing too because the 28-year-old produced some silken drives with the bat as straight as Sunil Gavaskar would prescribe to an aspirant.
Cricketing strokes
The beauty of Rohit’s batting, in a format that evokes cross-batted shots with greater frequency, was his penchant to play proper cricketing strokes. To do that, he obviously had to posses the acumen to pick the shots that suited the occasions. He was in no hurry even if the intensity of the game demanded so.
Rohit has acquired the trait to dominate from a system that produces technically and temperamentally compact run-makers in Mumbai. From Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar to Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar, the competitive flair of Mumbai maidans has been a glowing benchmark. For Rohit to emulate that characteristic was ingrained because you have to grab the spot when the opportunity comes your way.
Rohit’s coach Dinesh Lad never had to worry about his pupil’s technique. “It was as good as any other batsman,” he emphasised.
Tendency to play bad shots
But this tendency to play bad shots in Tests and day matches was as consistent as his excellence to decimate the opposition in the shorter versions. Was he overrated, complacent or indifferent? His critics would slay him but credit to the selectors who backed him.
A century on Test debut was in keeping with his potential. Another hundred in the next innings, which happened to be Tendulkar’s farewell Test, confirmed Rohit’s ability to shine in all three formats. His double century in an ODI (against Australia at Bangalore in 2013) was a precursor to a magnificent 264 (in Kolkata ODI against Sri Lanka). He had finally arrived.
But not in Tests, which continues to be a challenge to his talent in the growing competition from Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.
Languid in style and firm in his shot execution, Rohit is known to be a dangerous batsman once he gets past the initial hiccups. His ability to meet the ball with the meat of the bat reflects in his display, even in T20.
The drives on either side with a practically vertical bat are exemplary. He even prefers to ‘leave’ the ball in T20 but constructs his innings by pacing it brilliantly. For a batsman so aggressive, the reverse sweep is not part of his repertoire.
The intrigue that marks Rohit’s batsmanship is worth deconstructing for the analysts. Below the inconsistency lies a secure mindset to dominate.
