Rohit explains the art of hitting sixes
MANTRA FOR SUCCESS Impeccable timing, shot selection, remembering field placements key to maximum gains
MOHALI: Soon after scoring a record-breaking third double ton in ODIs, Rohit Sharma revealed the secret to scoring big and his art of hitting sixes at will. Having scored 208 off 153 balls, with 13 fours and 12 sixes, India’s stand-in skipper said unlike AB de Villers, Chris Gayle and MS D ho ni, who sometimes use sheer power to clear the ropes, he has to rely on timing and play according to the field.
Sample this: For his 100 off 115 balls, Rohit had hit nine fours and just one six off Nuwan Pradeep in the 27th over on Wednesday.
But as the innings progressed, Rohit hit four more boundaries, but his sixes count reached 11, effortlessly clearing the field each time. It may have looked easy from the stands, but Rohit insisted there was more to hitting sixes than met the eye.
“Nothing is easy. Maybe, when you watch it on TV it looks easy, but it is not. Trust me, when you are out in the middle, you have to use your brain and you have to time the ball. I was trying to play according to the field, playing the scoop shot, trying to hit over point. Those are my strengths,” he said.
Another thing that has helped Rohit is the rule of having five fielders inside the circle, which opens up enough gaps for a batsman like him who has a full repertoire of shots.
India plundered 147 runs off last 10 overs. The acceleration was so fast that India were 245/1 at the start of 41st over and by the end they almost touched 400 runs. Suranga Lakmal, the toast of Sri Lanka’s win in Dharamsala, went for four sixes in the 44th over as Rohit raced from 116 off 126 balls to 140 off 131 balls.
“It is not always that you can clear the rope easily. So, that is the advantage of having five fielders inside. You can play according to the field and shot selection becomes key. I don’t think T20 cricket has made me what I am today. I started playing three-day cricket at school. Then, the Ranji Trophy (fourday) cricket. Then, the ODIs. T20s came much later,” Rohit said, whose most productive shot was the pull which fetched him 71 runs (2x4, 9x6).
“Their bowlers were trying to bowl yorkers outside off stump with just three fielders on the leg side. So first I tried to penetrate the on-side, but I could not. So I tried hitting straight because the fielder at long-on was up inside the circle,” he said.
Rohit said after spending time on the field it becomes relatively easier to place the ball and find the gaps.