Aptly nicknamed as the Hitman for the effortless ease with which he decimates bowling attacks around the world. He oozes class and talent every time he is in the middle and seems to have all the time in the world to caress the ball into the gaps with his lazy elegance.
Rohit Gurunath Sharma was born on 30 April 1987 in Bansod Nagpur Maharashtra. He joined the Swami Vivekananda International school on a scholarship and started his cricket from there. He started off as an off-spinner who could bat a bit but destiny had bigger plans for its favorite child. He played along with his future teammate Cheteshwar Pujara in U 19 World Cup 2006 held in Sri Lanka scoring 205 runs at an average of 41 including 3 50's.
He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Mumbai in the 2006-07 season and gave glimpses of his precocious talent by scoring 205 off 267 balls a few matches later.
RUGGED RESUME OF ROHIT SHARMA:
GOING INTERNATIONAL :
Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut against Ireland at Belfast in 2007 without getting a chance to bat. But his moment under the sun came on the biggest of stages against the best bowling attack where he scored a fighting half-century against South Africa in the inaugural T20 World Cup and helped India clinch a berth in the semifinals. In the finals, he scored a quick-fire 30 of 16 balls showing off his big-hitting skills and announcing his arrival on the big stage. The match-winning knocks resulted in his selection in the ODI team for the CB series in 2008 and the much talked about youngster was put to test against a menacing Australian and wily Sri Lankan attack. He managed to hold onto his own and scored and was particularly impressive in the first finals where he played the second fiddle to Sachin Tendulkar and scored an important 66 to help India go 1 up against the mighty Aussies in the finals.
THE DECLINE :
Watching a kid play with such ease and finesse had people gaping in admiration. They were sure the next big thing had arrived in Indian cricket and would conjure up runs and victories just by the wave his magic wand. But he was unable to handle the pressure of expectations and his form deteriorated. The talent and lazy elegance which people couldn't stop talking about in admiration a few days came back to haunt him. His shot selection was questioned and he was accused of throwing his wicket away. He averages nose-dived and so did his career prospects. In his first 3 years, he had a batting average of 25 with the best score of 70.
He was included in the test squad and was set to make his debut in whites against South Africa in 2010 but injured his ankle while playing football during the warm-up. He was unfortunately ruled out of the series and had to wait for another 4 years before he could turn up in whites. 2012 turned out to be worse. He scored 168 runs at an average of 13 with just one fifty. This was his worst season and Rohit Sharma was turning out to be yet another cricketer who promised the world but disappeared into the oblivion disappointing everyone.
The selectors and MS Dhoni persisted with Sharma and the gamble as many of Dhoni's decisions relying on his gut instinct has paid rich dividends.
DELIVERING ON THE PROMISE :
MS Dhoni promoted #RohitSharmatoopen the innings with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma hasn't looked back since then. The Champions Trophy had put wind into the sails of his boat but it was the home series against Australia which elevated him to the big league. He decimated a strong bowling outfit scoring 491 runs in 6 innings.
He scored 209 in the decider with a world record 16 hits over the fence and entered into an elusive club which had all Indians. He stamped his authority in the world stage and made the opening slot his for years to come.
TEST DEBUT :
A rich burst of form in ODI ultimately led to Rohit's selection in the Tests after an agonizing wait and he made his debut on Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test series. He bailed India out of a sticky situation in his first Test and scored a magnificent 177, which is the second highest score for an Indian on his Test debut after Shikhar Dhawan's 185. He followed it up with a 111 at his home ground which was subdued with all of India having eyes for just one man in his farewell Test match. In this process, he became only the third Indian cricketer to score back to back hundred in their first 2 tests after Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly. He had announced his arrival in the Test arena in a grand way and was all set to make the #5 position his own.
RECORDS GALORE :
In Oct 2014 #RohitSharma became the first man to breach the 250 mark scoring a scarcely believable 264 against a hapless Sri Lankan attack, sending them on a leather hunt. He also became the first man to score two double centuries in ODI cricket. When India toured Australia in 2015-16 Rohit was at his absolute best scoring 2 centuries and a 99, piling up a massive 441 runs in the 5 match series and was aptly named the Man of the Tournament. On 3rd October 2017, Rohit Sharma rewrote the history books scoring his third ODI double hundred and once again Sri Lanka were at the receiving end. It was just the seventh time a male player had crossed the magical 200 figure in ODI's and Rohit Sharma owned three of them. It was more special as he brought it upon his anniversary with his wife watching him from the stands. Over the years Rohit Sharma has become a run-scoring machine in the limited overs consistently churning out the match-winning efforts and big scores with effortless ease.
T20 :
The only format where Rohit's career graph vindicated his natural talent. His T20 place has never been in question and he has been an automatic selection scoring bucket loads of runs around the world. During South Africa's tour of India in 2015, he scored 106 in the first T20I, becoming the third Indian player to have scored a century in all formats of the game. In 2017 he equalled the record for the fastest century by racing off to record books in just 35 balls and once again the Lankans were at the receiving end. And in the recently concluded England series, Rohit Sharma blasted his way into history by scoring his third T20 century to help India clinch a series win against England. He became the second batsman in the world to score 3 T20I centuries. To add to it he became the second Indian batsman and fifth overall to go past the 2000 run mark after Virat Kohli and was the second fastest in terms of balls faced. Rohit Sharma has been on a league of his own recently in the shortest format and is scoring is way into the record books.
IPL :
A lot of players thank IPL for reviving their careers and earning the faith of the selectors and Rohit Sharma is surely on the top of that list. During the initial phase of his start and stop career he was fading out from the international scene due to his famed inconsistency. But it was his performances in the cash-rich league that never let him fall out of favour. He has played for just 2 IPL teams in all it's completed seasons and has tasted success and glory with both. He was won the IPL for a record 4 times, 1 with Deccan Chargers and 3 with Mumbai Indians including two as a captain. He has two centuries in IPL. He has been a players captain and was lauded for the way he led his team to glory.
THE TEST BARRIER :
Rohit started off his Test career in prime fashion scoring two consecutive centuries and was tipped to step into India's middle order but the Test in whites has been a tough pill to swallow for India's star limited-overs batsman. He has a decent enough record at home but it's the away Tests that gave him sleepless nights. His technique has been questioned against the seaming conditions outside Asia which has invariably led to his failure. Recently he was picked ahead of India's best overseas batsman Ajinkya Rahane and on account of his recent limited over performance but he didn't do anything to vindicate the faith placed on him by the captain and the management and ended up losing his place in the side. He has been overlooked for the Test squad in the England series and is in danger of being labelled as an ODI specialist.
BATTING STYLE :
Rohit Sharma isn't the most technically sound player you would come across but he makes it up with his superior hand-eye coordination. He has the gift of timing and an uncanny ability to hit sixes effortlessly. When in full flow he makes batting look easy.
He takes his own sweet time to settle and isn't the best player to rotate the strike but compensates that with occasional boundaries never allowing the pressure to get to him. Once he is set in the middle he shifts into an extra gear and clears boundaries with unmatched consistency.But his minimal foot movement comes back to haunt him in the longer format of the game. He struggles in the bouncy and seaming conditions outside Asia sans a compact technique.
WAY AHEAD :
He can iron out the flaws in his game and strive to continue the excellent form which had come to be associated with the Hitman in the limited overs. With Rohit the Test batsman still a work under progress we will surely see the Hitman script a turnaround in his Test career and be the player that he was always destined to be.
Jai Ho.
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