With his effortless batting, Rohit Sharma offers cricket lovers a sit-back-and-enjoy show. His performance is easy on the eye, yet high on effectiveness.
In 2019, he performed plenty of such shows. Especially in the 50-over format, where he gathered 1490 runs in 27 innings at an average of 57.30 and end up as the highest run-getter ahead of captain Virat Kohli (1377).
“Personally I have enjoyed batting, but there is no way I am stopping,” said Rohit Sharma, the Man-of-the-Series in India’s 2-1 win over West Indies, during the post-match presentation at the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday night.
This demonstrates how Rohit relishes his moment in the middle. It has helped him score seven hundreds and six fifties in the last 12 months.
Boy next door
At a time when hunks have replaced common men as heroes in Indian movies, Rohit, with his lazy elegance, is like a superstar from a bygone era who has found acceptance and appeal even today. While batsmen with bulging muscles have made the thrashing of the leather ball a trend in T20 cricket, Rohit, the boy next door, sends the white ball flying to the boundary without much toil.
Rohit, who closed the year with a 63-ball 63 and contributed significantly in India’s big run chase in the third and final ODI here, has scored the most number of boundary shots — 146 fours and 36 sixes — this year.
Only Eoin Morgan has hit more sixes — 41 — while Aaron Finch has the same number. Nevertheless, they are far behind on number of fours.
Uncluttered mind
“I understand my batting really well. I want to play within my limits. Knowing the game plan you want to execute is very important,” said the 32-year-old, providing an insight into his uncluttered mind and mature thinking.
The other important facet of Rohit’s batting is making his partner feel good in his company. After his fine run with opening partner and good friend Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit has forged an enviable rapport with the talented K.L. Rahul. The result is for everyone to see.
In just 10 innings this year, Rohit and Rahul have developed a special bond which has yielded 923 runs, including five century stands, at a whopping average of 92.30. They have defied the popular theory of left-right combination with sheer class.
Rapid strides
Rohit and Rahul’s 227-run stand in Visakhapatnam has already established itself as the best Indian opening association against the Windies. Their combined average is unmatched by a mile and the two, in their prime, promise to make rapid strides on the all-time list of successful opening partners.
Rohit, who went past Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya’s 22-year-old record of scoring the most runs by an opener in international cricket during his knock here, wants to replicate his white-ball cricket success in red-ball matches too.
He has already shown signs of it after being promoted as an opener in Tests and is eagerly looking forward to achieving greater glory.
