Bhubaneswar: Rohit Sharma has done what no other batsmen before could achieve – the feat of scoring five centuries in the singe edition of the World Cup. Rohit now has six centuries in the World Cup, a feat achieved only by the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, who needed six editions of the tournament to register the feat. It just goes to show the form Rohit is in at present and not for nothing he is fondly called the ‘Hitman’. The time has come to take away the tag of ‘Universal Boss’ which Chris Gayle attributed to himself. It is Rohit who is now the ‘Universal Boss’.
What makes Rohit’s feat all the more alluring is the way he bats, a lazy languid elegance that makes him stand out among others. Not for nothing has Sunil Gavaskar said, “When Rohit is in form, the world stops to watch him bat.” Take for example the first over that Dhananjay de Silva bowled to Rohit during India’s game against Sri Lanka, Saturday. The first six was a stand and deliver blow – the ball skimming through the air flat as it crossed the line. One ball of defence was followed up by a shimmy down the pitch and lofting the ball high into the air and into the stands. There was virtually no effort as the ball soared into the sky; it was as if Rohit taking batting to a different level where sky is the limit.
There are many records that Rohit is on the verge of. His current tally of runs in the ongoing World Cup stands at 647 and he needs just 27 more to beat Tendulkar’s record of 673 runs in a single edition of the tournament. Tendulkar’s six World Cup centuries needed 45 games, Rohit has played just 16. One more ton in the next few games will help him to go past Tendulkar’s record.
Rohit’s fifth hundred in the current tournament took him past Kumar Sangakkara’s record of four tons in a single edition of the World cup. The Indian opener attributed his success to the discipline he has bought into his game.
“There has to be some discipline as well in your batting and I have learned that from my past,” Rohit said after the game Saturday.
“What has happened has happened, every day is a new day in cricket. I want to start every day as a fresh day. I come out thinking I have not played any ODIs or scored any hundreds in the tournament. That is the mindset I want to get in and I keep telling myself that,” added the Indian opener.
Asked how he has been able to score big in this tournament, Rohit said, “The shot selection becomes important once you are in. I have to keep telling myself on what sort of shots I can play on that pitch and what sort of bowlers are bowling to me. I try and calculate how I want to go forward based on that. It has paid dividends so far.”
It should also be stated here Rohit also holds the record of maximum double centuries in ODI cricket with three of them to his name. He said his job was to win games for his team and not going after milestones.
“Not really, not thought about scoring five hundreds. I just go out there and do my job. Not thinking about all these kind of milestones,” said Rohit. “I know if I play well, all these things will happen along the way. My job is to keep my head straight and get my team to the finishing line. Although people around me keep talking about the hundreds, but that is the challenge as a sportsperson,” added Rohit.
That for you is Rohit Sharma in a nutshell. For batting mastery in the Indian team, one can always go to Virat Kohli, but then who does one turn to ignite a dying soul? Who else but Rohit Sharma.
PNN & Agencies