Rohit-Shikhar opening act augurs well for India
MUMBAI: When Rohit Sharma or Shikhar Dhawan is on song, their power and scoring rate can make life tough for any attack. On Sunday, in the nine-wicket loss to India in the Asia Cup Super Four game, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed tried six bowlers, yet by the time Pakistan got a lucky breakthrough (Dhawan’s run out), it was too late.
The victory margin delivered by Rohit (111) and Dhawan (114) was India’s biggest in terms of wickets against Pakistan.
MS Dhoni’s decisions have worked wonders for teammates. Turning Kedar Jadhav into a wicket-taking option is the latest revelation. In 2013, his decision to ask Rohit to open in the ICC Champions Trophy in UK, pairing him with the attacking Dhawan, proved an instant hit.
In their first game together, against South Africa, Rohit slammed a 65-ball 81 and Dhawan 114 off 94 deliveries, raising 127 runs together. India seemed to have found their new right-left pair after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.
SECOND ALL-TIME
The pair has established itself as the second-most successful pair in ODIs, behind South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, sharing 13 century stands.
There was a blip going into their first home assignment against Australia in late 2013. In eight innings post the Champions Trophy, barring a 123-run stand, they had failed to cross even 30, against teams such as West Indies and Zimbabwe. Doubts crept in and the 2015 World Cup was approaching.
However, Rohit and Dhawan notched up three century stands in the seven-match home series against Australia -- India won all three -- as India wrapped up a 3-2 win (two were rain-hit). Sharma hit his maiden double hundred. He has scored two other double tons — most for a batsman.
Rohit and Dhawan often provided the platform for others to come and dominate. They didn’t have a good 2015 World Cup as a pair, but a 76-run stand in the semi-final against Australia while chasing 329 laid a platform, before they crumbled.
FEATHER IN THE CAP
Rohit and Dhawan have grown in strength since then. The 210-run stand on Sunday was not just India’s highest opening stand against Pakistan — it bettered the 159 between Tendulkar and Ganguly in Dhaka, 1998 — but was the highest in a successful ODI run chase. It was the seventh time both openers had scored centuries in an innings.
India would hope for consistency, with skipper Virat Kohli following in at No 3. In a video on the bcci website, Dhawan summed it up.
“Good thing is we have played so much together we don’t have to say much … we work on autopilot, which is great. We knew they had a (quick) pace attack and we had to stay in there for 10-15 overs to see off the new ball. Once set, we were enjoying each other’s company. When Rohit was going aggressive, I was taking a back seat and when I was going aggressive, he was taking a back seat.”
Much will rest on these two if India are to do well in the 2019 World Cup. They have a terrific record in England -- in 14 matches, they have three century and half-century stands each. They’ve scored 832 runs in 818 deliveries at an average of 64 and with a strike rate of 101.71.