Rohit Gurunath Sharma’s transition from an also-ran to the “Hitman” of the world cricket certainly deserves an onscreen adaptation on the lines of MS Dhoni or the upcoming 83. A player with immense potential was initially living on borrowed times during Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s initial period of captaincy. However, the fortunes for the Mumbai lad changed forever once he started opening for India from 2013 onwards. With his ascension as the supreme leader in the short and shortest formats, it would be interesting to look back at some of the knocks that made him one of the dangerous batsmen in white-ball cricket.
50* VS South Africa (2007)
This was the knock that announced his arrival on the international stage not simply because it came in a crucial T-20 World Cup encounter against a formidable Proteas team but also for the fact that it came at a critical juncture in the Indian innings. The Men in Blue were in a spot of bother at 33/3 and with Yuvraj Singh missing the game, the contest would have easily turned into a one-sided affair in favour of South Africa had it not been for the grit shown by a new kid on the block called Rohit Sharma. Riding on the unbeaten fifty of Rohit India posted a competitive 153/5, which proved to be a match-winning total and India qualified for the Semis as well.
66 VS Australia (2008)
This is another memorable innings as the timing, again, was of the essence. Chasing 240 in the first final of the CB Series, India were in a precarious position at 87/3 when the young Mumbai batsmen came to the middle to join the “God Of Cricket” Sachin Tendulkar to resurrect the innings. Though the match is known more for Sachin’s match-winning 117, without Rohit’s 66 the match could have easily slipped from the Indian grasp. This apart, Rohit’s dream of batting alongside his role model also came true.
209 VS Australia (2013)
This double century is worth zillions of platinum with regard to Rohit’s career as it came at a time when his presence in the squad was being questioned from several quarters. The murmur regarding his casual attitude while batting was growing louder. This innings at Bangalore against Australia, a day before Diwali, assured the curious onlookers and cricket fans that he is a force to reckon with and not some wayward youngster who is merely obsessed with flamboyance. In the record-breaking endeavour, Rohit reached 100 only in the 37th over but in the next 13 overs, he rattled off another ton to help India to a total of strength and achieve victory. Indeed the Australians were hit by a Mumbai hail storm in the Garden City on this day in 2013.
137 VS Bangladesh (2015)
Not only the ton came in a world cup game but a knockout match as well. India were struggling at 115/3 against a spirited Bangladesh after losing the then-in form Dhawan and forever Talismanic Kohli. One more wicket could have easily put immense pressure on the lower-order batsmen. However, Rohit with good support from Suresh Raina helped India post a staggering 302 to beat Bangladesh and qualify for the Semis. As usual, Rohit was slow, to begin with, but once he found his bearings he went on a rampage en route to his 137. The match is also infamous for the no-ball controversy as Rohit holed out to deep mid wicket to a full toss while batting on 90. However, the third umpire adjudged the delivery to be a waist-high no-ball, which was not entirely a convincing judgement.
122 VS South Africa (2019)
Another important knock in a world cup encounter as India were chasing 227 against charged-up South African bowlers under overcast conditions. In the pursuit of a modest yet tricky total, India had lost Dhawan (8) and Virat (18) and the Proteas bowlers were bracing to wreak more havoc in the Indian batting lineup. However, Rohit in his usual manner took baby steps initially, while riding his fortunes, before shifting to the top gear to produce another precious century to help India beat South Africa by 6 wickets. The “Hitman” also went on to score 4 more centuries in the world cup to become the sole batter with maximum tons in a world cup.
