Rohit Sharma has hit 5 centuries in the 2019 World Cup
On Saturday, when Rohit Sharma reached his fifth World Cup century in this year's edition against Sri Lanka, his reaction was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day at work for the right-hander it seemed. On the other hand, Virat Kohli had a wide glee on his face which was only bettered by Rohit's wife Ritika Sajdeh.
The reactions tell you so many stories. For Ritika, it was a proud moment, for Kohli, it was sheer happiness for his teammate, who has consistently outshined him and for Rohit, it was routine. And, that is why this World Cup has been so special for him.
Rohit has come a long way from the time when he was left out of the 2011 World Cup final. A move that broke his heart. A decision that left him questioning himself but eight years down the line, there he is, on top of the world.
His journey has been nothing short of a life lesson for many. Busting on to the scene as the 'next big thing' to being overlooked for a World Cup and then somehow being accommodated in the team and then the redemption. Rohit Sharma has seen it all in his life and at 32 now, he is using all of it to drive India towards a third World Cup title.
Rohit's career changed when he was asked to open the batting in the 2013 Champions Trophy. It was a sticky wicket he was batting on. Successful, he is set for a while and another failure -- he's back in the dumps. The challenge was difficult for a middle-order batsman to play in the swinging conditions in England but with his back against the wall, he had no choice. As the tournament ended, he finished fourth in terms of runs scored as India lifted the trophy. 177 from 5 games. Nothing too great but those 177 runs changed his fate and Indian cricket.
Rohit Sharma started opening the batting in the 2013 Champions Trophy
Since the 2013 Champions Trophy, Rohit has been the only constant in the Indian team along with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. The only player who has performed consistently and raised the bar with every passing game. However, it is since the 2015 World Cup that he has really taken it to another level and if you are a fan of numbers, you are going to love it.
Since the tournament ended, Rohit has scored 4437 runs from 79 games at an average of 64.30 and slammed 20 hundreds -- the most by any batsman since then. His run-tally is only second to Kohli, who has scored 311 runs more and played two matches less. Kohli has scored 19 centuries during the time.
Rohit's consistency at the top is what allows Kohli and others to bide their time and score big. India's top-order has done the bulk of the scoring and is the reason behind their success and the Mumbaikar has led with panache. What makes Rohit even more special is his ability to accelerate and adapt his innings. When paired with Shikhar Dhawan, he lets Dhawan do the heavy hitting and plays the perfect foil to the madness of the left-hander and now with Rahul, Rohit is the aggressive one, thus, allowing Rahul to settle in and build his innings.
"The way he has been able to change his gears, the way he has been able to manoeuvre and hit gaps is just outstanding to see. It just takes the pressure off me," Rahul said in awe of the HitMan as they like to call him.
For India to win the World Cup especially after Dhawan's loss at the start of the tournament, Rohit and Kohli had to do the heavy lifting in terms of runs and nine games into the tournament, Rohit has blown Kohli out of the water and is the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 647 runs from 8 games at an average of 92.42. Rohit has slammed 5 hundreds so far in the tournament -- the most by any player ever and is just 26 runs away from Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most runs scored in a single World Cup. Tendulkar's 673 from 11 innings in the 2003 edition remains the highest and his fellow Mumbaikar is kind of set to beat him with two games in hand if India beat New Zealand and qualify for the final.
Rohit Sharma has outscored Virat Kohli in this year's World Cup so far
Rohit's class has never been doubted and temperament either but it's his hunger for success according to him that pushes him to break the boundaries.
"I come out thinking that I have not played any ODIs," he said. "I have not got any hundreds in the tournament. It is just the first game in the tournament," Rohit said during a post-match chat after the Sri Lanka game on Saturday.
Rohit's numbers over the past four years have been only second to Kohli's -- widely considered the best in the world right now but Kohli begs to differ.
"I have been watching it for years now. He’s (Rohit) the best One-day player around and we are so delighted to see him. When he plays like that, everybody is happy to see him strike this so well," Kohli about his deputy at the post-match presentation ceremony," Kohli said after the Bangladesh game.
You can't argue with him. Can you? Because when Rohit plays like this, Kohli plays second-fiddle and not many times will you see the Indian captain doing that? That's why Rohit is such a special player. At the top of the order, he is a joy to watch, a force to be feared and when he is tuning the band, India's melody is the finest to hear.
