Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Mumbai Indians and Team India, turns 36 on Sunday. Fans commonly refer to him as “Hitman.” On April 30, 1987, Rohit was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Rohit has advanced to become one of the greatest cricket players of the contemporary era after making his India debut in 2007.
India’s Rahul Dravid is the most Popular batsman in the history of Test cricket so far. Yet he was not the team’s best Test batsman in his time. If you were asked to choose one of the best, most people would have chosen Sachin Tendulkar.
Similarly, there is no doubt that Virat Kohli is the best batsman in India and the world in ODIs at present. But if Virat Kohli was not in superhuman form, Rohit Sharma’s name would have been mentioned as the best ODI batsman in the world. The similarity between these two events is that the other became a shadow because of one’s superhuman prowess.
Since 2013, when Rohit Sharma emerged as a regular opener, he has been batting exceptionally well. His ability and consistency to play big innings has kept him ahead of other openers by a big margin. Although he has not been able to match himself in Test cricket, his ODI statistics in the last five years show that he is one of the best ODI batsmen of all time. Let’s know about the notable aspects of this great opener who has changed the definition of modern ODI cricket.
Important changes in ODI career
Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut for India in 2007 at the age of 20. He batted in the middle order for the first six years of his career. He then opened in 2013 on the advice of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Since batting as an opener, the cricket world has seen another Rohit Sharma.
In the first 100 matches of his ODI career, Rohit scored 2,480 runs at an average of just 31.79. He scored only two centuries. How well he has been batting since then can be seen by comparing him to legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin scored 3,146 runs in his first 100 ODIs at a batting average of 36.58 with the help of four centuries. Rohit Sharma currently has scored 7,454 runs in 193 matches with the help of 21 centuries. His batting average has increased from just 31.79 in the first 100 matches of his career to 47.78 now. Tendulkar scored 4,925 runs at a batting average of 40.73 after 193 matches, scoring 16 centuries.
Rohit has played 93 matches since his 100th ODI match. In these 93 matches, he has scored 4,974 runs at a batting average of 63.76 and a strike rate of 96.88; He scored 19 centuries and 20 half-centuries. Only Virat Kohli has scored more runs than him in this period. In 13 matches more than Rohit, he has scored 5,725 runs at a batting average of 72.46 and a strike rate of 98.30. He scored 23 centuries against 25 half-centuries.
Rohit Sharma has batted in 187 innings and scored 21 centuries. In the first 187 innings of his career in ODI cricket, only three have scored more centuries than him – Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Hashim Amla has scored 26 centuries in 154 innings and Kohli and Villiers have scored 30 and 22 centuries respectively in their first 187 innings. During this period, Rohit Sharma has proved his batting talent in different parts of the world. He batted brilliantly under pressure and in adverse conditions. When India came out to chase a big target, he was the one who gave a flying start to the opening wicket, making it easier for the other batsmen. During this period, India won only fifteen of its 19 centuries. Apart from Kohli, Rohit’s contribution to India’s success is also undeniable.
Also read: Interesting Facts We Bet You Didn’t Know About Virat Kohli
To Good to Be Second
The turning point of Rohit Sharma’s ODI career was in 2013 when he was sent to open the innings. Since then, he has become unstoppable. During this period, he opened the innings in 92 matches and scored 4,956 runs at a batting average of 63.53. He has scored the most runs as an opener. His compatriot Shikhar Dhawan has scored the second highest score as an opener. He scored 4,235 runs at a batting average of 46.03. Hashim Amla has also scored 4,111 runs at a batting average of 46.19.
He is also ahead of other openers by a big margin in terms of scoring centuries. He has scored 19 centuries since 2013. Dhawan and Amla have scored the second highest number of centuries among openers with 14 centuries each.
Rohit Sharma has scored runs at a batting average of over 60 per year in the last three calendar years. In 2017 and 2018, he scored runs with a batting average of over 70, with a strike rate also touching 100. He scored 1,293 runs off 1,300 balls in 2017 and 1,030 off 1,029 balls so far in 2018.
In 2017 and 2018, he scored 11 centuries in just 40 matches. Only Kohli has scored more centuries than him in this period. He scored 12 centuries. Rohit has scored 2,323 runs in 40 matches at a batting average of 72.59 and a strike rate of 99.74. He scored 11 centuries as well as eight half-centuries. During this time, he has batted well in all conditions except South Africa. Rohit scored a century against the Proteas but was not in all rhythm.
If he was born in any era of ODI cricket except Kohli’s era, Rohir would have won the title of the world’s best ODI batsman of that time. But the Indian captain performed brilliantly and turned Rohit into the second best batsman. Of course, Rohit should not be sad. Because the way Kohli is scoring, it is not possible to touch him unless he does something unimaginable.
Rohit is behind Kohli in almost everything, but he has scored twice as many sixes in terms of sixes. Rohit has hit 174 sixes since 2013. No one has hit more sixes than him in this period. His number of sixes is 64 more than Villiers, who has hit the second highest number of 110 sixes. Kohli hit 82 sixes, which is 92 fewer than Rohit. That’s how Rohit is ahead.
Ability to play big innings
One of the reasons for Rohit Sharma’s success in ODIs is that he plays according to the situation. At the beginning of the innings, he batted judging the behavior of the wicket. His role in the top-order is to play the first 10-15 overs. Then, when he settled at the crease, he ruled the bowlers in his own way. He batted slowly in the beginning but did not put the team under pressure. With his extraordinary ball-striking ability, he can score quick runs.
In the cricket world, many hard-hitter batsmen are mentioned as finishers. Batsmen like Dhoni, de Villiers, Andre Russell, Pandya are called death overs specialists. But statistics say otherwise. Rohit has the highest strike rate (209.3) among batsmen who have faced at least 30 balls in the death overs in ODIs in the last five years.
He is also unparalleled in playing big innings. So far, he has scored more than 150 runs seven times, including three double centuries in ODIs. He holds the record for most 150 runs in ODIs. It is followed by David Warner and Sachin Tendulkar, who have scored 150 runs each five times. He holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in each of the last five years.
Currently, the top five batsmen in India’s ODI batting line-up have a batting average of around 50. Meanwhile, Rohit and Kohli are in great form. Apart from this, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu and Mahendra Singh Dhoni also have statistics to be proud of. Rohit can expect that his great batting form will last till the upcoming World Cup and it will also affect the white dress.
