Revision as of 15:15, 3 April 2021

Career

Chases

ODIs, 2008-19

Rohit Sharma’s memorable ODI chases, 2008-19
From: June 7, 2019: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma’s memorable ODI chases, 2008-19

Achievements

2017

Rohit Sharma in ODIs, as on 13 Dec 2017
From December 14, 2017: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma in ODIs, 13 Dec 2017

2013-18

2013-2018: Rampant Rohit Sharma's magic run, October 30, 2018: The Times of India

Rohit Sharma’s big ODI scores, 2013-18
From: Nitin Naik, Rohit’s romance with CCI continues, October 30, 2018: The Times of India

Skipper Virat Kohli may be stacking up ODI hundreds by bucketload in the last few years, but he has remained a step behind Rohit Sharma in terms of 'highest individual score of the year by an Indian'. Rohit is holding the record since 2013, the year he scored his first (209) of the three double centuries in one-day internationals.

With 162 off 137 balls, a record-extending seventh 150 or more score for him, against West Indies in the fourth ODI of the five-match series at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, Rohit has overtaken the lead from Kohli for this year too. India captain was leading the chart through his 160 not out against South Africa in Cape Town.

In 2013, the India's highest two individual scores was made by Rohit - 209 and 141* vs Australia in Bengaluru and Jaipur respectively.

While in 2014, Rohit scored the highest-ever individual score in ODIs - a 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata. That year the second best by an Indian was 139* by Kohli against the same opponent.

Similar to 2013, the top two highest scores by Indian batsmen in 2015 came from the bat of Rohit - a 150 against South Africa in Kanpur and 138 vs Australia in Melbourne. Kohli too scored a 138 that year against South Africa in Chennai.

With a 171 not out against Australia in Perth, Rohit again topped the chart in 2016, which was followed by Kohli's unbeaten 154 against New Zealand in Mohali.

And last year, Rohit slammed his third double hundred, a 208* against Sri Lanka in Mohali, which was way ahead of the second best of 150 by Yuvraj Singh against England in Cuttack.

2018

Asheem Mukerji, ROHIT RINGS IN DIWALI, November 7, 2018: The Times of India

Rohit Sharma- records, in brief, 2018
From: December 29, 2018: The Times of India

Rohit Sharma is the first batsman to hit 4 centuries in T20Is, going ahead of New Zealand’s Munro’s tally of 3. Rohit has also become the leading run-getter for India in this format, and second in the overall list:

1268 Runs (at 32.51 in 39 innings) by Rohit-Shikhar is a record by any pair in T20Is, bettering the 1154 (at 31.18 in 37 innings) by Warner-Watson for Australia

2019, Feb

Rohit Sharma’s records and statistics after India’s India’s T20I victory over NZ at Auckland
From: India Level Series With Maiden T20I Win on NZ Soil; Krunal, Rohit, Rishabh Play Lead Roles, February 9, 2019: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma’s records and statistics after India’s India’s T20I victory over NZ at Auckland

2019, July: no. 1 in ODIs

In 2019, July, Rohit Sharma was no. 1 in ODIs
From: July 3 2019: The Times of India

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In 2019, July, Rohit Sharma was no. 1 in ODIs

2019, August: Achievements in T20Is

Rohit Sharma, Achievements in T20Is, till 2019, August
From: August 5, 2019: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma, Achievements in T20Is, till 2019, August

2019: as an opener, at home

Rohit Sharma: as an opener, at home in 2019
From: Gaurav Gupta, January 2, 2021: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma: as an opener, at home in 2019

2020

In tests, till Dec

Rohit Sharma In tests, till Dec 2020
From: Gaurav Gupta, January 2, 2021: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma In tests, till Dec 2020.

2021

In tests, till Feb

Rohit Sharma in Tests, till Feb 2021
From: Gaurav Gupta, March 2, 2021: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma in Tests, till Feb 2021

Jan-Feb: Mr Indispensable

Gaurav Gupta, March 2, 2021: The Times of India

Rohit Sharma in Tests, Jan-Feb 2021
From: Gaurav Gupta, March 2, 2021: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma in Tests, Jan-Feb 2021

It’s easy to understand why Rohit Sharma felt that the undercooked pitch in the third Test, which finished within two days, was rather “easy to bat on”. On a track where batsmen were spooked by every ball, the star opener cracked 66 in the first innings, out of India’s paltry total of 145, and then finished off the match in style with his signature shot — dancing down the wicket and smashing the ball to deep mid-wicket off Joe Root.

On a similarly challenging turner in the previous Test, Rohit scored a masterly 161, out of an Indian total of 329. It was an innings which proved to be the sole difference between the two sides, and allowed India to come back into the series. Many felt that it was the classy Mumbaikar who deserved the man of the match award, even though the eventual winner, Ravichandran Ashwin took 10 wickets and scored a hundred in the game. Nevertheless, it was a ‘masterclass’ on how to thwart spinners on a pitch which Jonathan Agnew of the BBC termed as ‘not good enough for Test cricket.” What makes the classy Rohit such a dangerous batsman even on a dust bowl? His former teammate and close friend Abhishek Nayar offers an important insight.

“Any cricketer in Mumbai has to counter tough conditions while batting in local cricket. As a youngster, Rohit has played on wickets with red soil, on which the ball spins like a top, and in the Kanga league, where spinners become even more dangerous since both the wicket and the ball are wet, and the ball skids. Like it happened in Ahmedabad, you don’t know if the ball would stop and come, come straight or turn. If you see his sweep shot, it’s a very natural, ‘Mumbaiya shot,’ since the sweep comes handily while playing in turning conditions. “This is why most Mumbai batsmen, for example Shreyas Iyer, are very good players of spin bowling. If you don’t know how to play spin, you won’t be able to survive in the local leagues,” Nayar, now an assistant coach with Kolkata Knight Riders, told TOI.

However, this factor alone isn’t what makes Rohit a ‘special’ batsman, particularly in Test cricket in India. “His biggest strength is the amount of time he has to play the ball. He picks the length of the ball very early. He has now understood what his strengths are, and he can dominate a spinner,” says Nayar. Having witnessed Rohit score a superb hundred for Mumbai on a similarly tough wicket at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi against Railways back in 2009, Nayar tells you what Rohit’s approach is on such wickets. “On a turner, Rohit won’t think about surviving. He thinks how can he dominate a bowler, so that the bowler is looking for survival instead,” he reveals.

The former allrounder feels that, at 33, Rohit is now also a mature individual who is in command both on and off the field. “He has a different mindset now. He knows how to tactically approach his innings, which bowler he has to target. If you see his interviews in his younger days, he would say something unwarranted, would get upset, but now he’s so calm. He’s a different guy in a different stage of life now.”

Clearly, those ‘mental demons’ that perhaps afflicted Rohit in the early part of his career are a thing of the past. “He’s in an excellent zone mentally, because of which taking a decision has become easier for him. That means shot selection, for which he used to receive criticism at one point, has become easy for him. He believes in his defence. He has made a few small adjustments.”

“His long stride while playing spinners is perfect now. He plays the spinning ball right below his eye, and he is backing his instincts, rather than playing predetermined strokes, as was the case with a few other batsmen in the third Test,” explained former India batsman and ex-Mumbai coach Pravin Amre, who is now an assistant coach with Delhi Capitals.

In the IPL

2017- 2019 April

Gaurav Gupta, April 10, 2019: The Times of India

Rohit Sharma's IPL average, 2017- 2019, April 9
From: Gaurav Gupta, April 10, 2019: The Times of India

It’s not often that one is excited about an IPL game with the prospect of watching a bowler in action. After all, it’s the batsmen, particularly big-hitters like Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and MS Dhoni, who attract crowds and TV ratings.

On Wednesday night at the Wankhede Stadium, though, all eyes will be fixed on a 22-year-old West Indian fast bowler called Alzarri Joseph. Drafted in by the Mumbai Indians after Kiwi pacer Kyle Mills suffered an injury, the Antiguan skyrocketed to stardom on Saturday night with a sensational IPL debut which saw him return dream figures of 6/12 to dismantle Sunrisers Hyderabad in their own den. Joseph’s dream spell, the best by a bowler in IPL history, helped his team romp home to a 40-run win in a lowscoring game, as MI shot out the Sunrisers for just 96 after being restricted to 136.

Having delivered a match-defining performance like that right at the start, the youngster will be the toast of the ever-enthusiastic Wankhede crowd when MI lock horns with a dangerous-looking Kings XI Punjab on Wednesday night here.

The hosts will hope Alzarri provides another breakthrogh performance as they look to soar on the IPL-12 points table, where they currently lie on the fifth spot with six points after five games. The young gun has added more firepower to the MI pace battery, which already boasts of the No 1 pace bowler in the world-Jasprit Bumrah, the tall Aussie, Jason Behrendorff, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who seems to be getting better with the ball by the day since returning from his injury. Pandya has also been batting as well as he ever has, and was instrumental in MI put playing Chennai Super Kings a week back.

Punjab’s Rahul, meanwhile, stroked an unbeaten 71 off 53 balls as Kings XI made heavy weather of their chase against SRH on Monday night.

Considering Rohit’s slight weakness against left-arm seamers, it would be interesting to see how he meets the challenge of Englishman Sam Curran, who seems to be enjoying his first taste of the IPL, in which he has already taken a hat-trick.

In another boost for MI, pacer Lasith Malinga returned to the camp after taking part in the interprovincial one-day tournament back home in Sri Lanka. However, with Behrendorff and Joseph firing all guns, he may find it difficult to find a place in the XI.

Records, statistics

Sharma in ODIs, 2007-Jan 2019

Rohit Sharma’s statistics and records in ODIs, 2007-Jan 2019
From: January 31, 2019: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma’s statistics and records in ODIs, 2007-Jan 2019

Runs and centuries, 2017 Jan 14, 2019

Runs and centuries scored by Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other top batsmen between 2017 and Jan 14, 2019
From: January 15, 2019: The Times of India

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Runs and centuries scored by Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other top batsmen between 2017 and Jan 14, 2019

Most sixes against a particular opponent, 2019

Rohit Sharma has established a new record for most sixes by a batsman against a particular opponent in all formats- as on January 17, 2019
From: January 17, 2019: The Times of India

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Rohit Sharma has established a new record for most sixes by a batsman against a particular opponent in all formats- as on January 17, 2019

World Cup, 2019

Rohit makes most of Tamim’s reprieve

Rohit Sharma has been dropped five times in this WC — the latest of which came against Bangladesh on Tuesday when Tamim Iqbal grounded an easy chance in the fifth over while the opener was batting on 9. Rohit didn’t need a second invitation to make his presence felt. Showing plenty of intent, the classy batsman sent the bowlers on a leather hunt, smashing seven boundaries and five sixes to bring up his fourth century of this World Cup. His blitz off 92 balls at a strike rate of 113.04 also gave time to his opening partner KL Rahul to settle down. Even though Rohit lost his concentration soon after he reached his century and got out by playing a lame shot, the inning laid the platform for Team India’s big total.

Trivia

Brabourne Stadium and Sharma

Nitin Naik, Rohit’s romance with CCI continues, October 30, 2018: The Times of India

There are marvellous stories about how Indian cricketers can do no wrong at certain venues. VVS Laxman was Bradmanesque at the Eden Gardens. His great state-mate and former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin too had an eerie romance with the venue. Anil Kumble had to barely turn up at the Kotla to get wickets and Virat Kohli and the Adelaide Oval is an enchanting story too.

The same can be said about Rohit Sharma and the Brabourne Stadium. Indian cricket lovers were still coming to terms with India’s early exit from the 2007 World Cup when news filtered from the CCI that Rohit Sharma had become the first Indian to score a ton in the T20 format. He had blasted his way to 101 not out off 45 balls against Gujarat, hitting 13 fours and five sixes in the inaugural edition of the Interstate T20 meet which later on became the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tourney.

He also scored a triple hundred in the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat at the CCI, apart from scoring strokeful cameos during the 2008-09 season for Mumbai, most notably against Rajasthan, which had left then-Rajasthan coach Ian Fraser in awe.

On Monday, he became the first batsman to hit a century in ODIs at the venue when he slammed 162 against West Indies in the fourth One-dayer. Ambati Rayudu followed suit and became the second. Apart from scoring 150-plus a record seven times, Rohit also became the first batsman to score a hundred in every format at the CCI.

Manipulating the field when set is Rohit’s great strength and when he is in form, he rarely seems to hit the ball. Hence he seldom appears to slog even when he is playing across the line. That is what he did on Monday too.

Speaking to the broadcasters mid-innings, he said, “I have grown up playing cricket in Mumbai and more so at the CCI. I understand the pace and bounce here and you need to use it to your advantage. Once you do that, you get value for your shots. I was trying to not hit it very hard throughout the innings and just tried to maintain my shape.”

During the last IPL, Virat Kohli, while analysing Rohit’s strengths as a rival skipper had said how he is the most dangerous batsman once he crosses 50 because he plays correct shots and is impossible to contain him. That perhaps explains why he has got three double hundreds in ODIs and so many 150-plus scores.

Speaking about carrying on after scoring a hundred in ODIs, Rohit, during the mid-innings break stressed on that typical Mumbai attitude of not getting out easily after getting set, “I generally feel that once you cross 100 it’s about you making a mistake and getting out. The bowlers will not get you out.”