Rohit, the lynchpin in toporder domination
SMOOTH TAKE OFF The ODI opener has mastered anchoring and bighitting, especially in tandem with India captain Virat Kohli
MUMBAI : Chris Gayle (9,426 runs in 263 matches) in this millennium and Hashim Amla (6,843 runs in 145 matches) this decade may be topping the charts as best ODI openers, but Rohit Sharma has been the best since the last World Cup with the next year’s 50-over showpiece approaching.
The India opener notched up a nonchalant yet strokeful century on Sunday — 20th overall — scoring 152 off 117 balls against West Indies in the first ODI at Guwahati.
His sixth 150-plus score also took him past Sachin Tendulkar’s and David Warner’s record of five such scores.
Rohit’s seamless shifting of gears while batting with Virat Kohli — who smashed 140 and dominated a record 246-run stand between them — again underlined the sheer domination of the Indian top three, with Shikhar Dhawan the other player.
For a batsman who likes to settle down before launching his attack, Rohit was provided an ideal platform by Kohli in a chase of 323, which India achieved in 42.1 overs. Rohit played second fiddle to Kohli, exploding only towards the end in an knock studded with 15 fours and eight sixes.
Not long ago, a record 210-run stand with Dhawan had punctured Pakistan in the Asia Cup, again highlighting Rohit’s key role in India’s ODI domination.
TOPPING THE CHARTS
Rohit and Dhawan are turning into India’s best opening pair since Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Rohit has enjoyed similar success with Kohli.
Together, Rohit and Kohli have added 3,931 runs in 64 innings with 15 century and nine half-century stands, averaging 65.51. Their partnership aggregate is five runs less than the Rohit-Dhawan total of 3,936 runs, Rohit and Kohli have accumulated the runs in far fewer ties.
They have batted together in 86 innings to score 3,936 runs, averaging 46.30 with 13 century and 12 half-century stands.
Rohit’s ability to bat for long is also proven by the fact that the Kohli-Dhawan pair has so far had only 43 innings together, in which they have aggregated 2,521 runs at an average of 63.02 with eight century and 12 half-century stands.
As pairs, Rohit-Dhawan and Rohit-Kohli are fifth and sixth respectively in putting up most runs in ODI partnerships. The Kohli-Dhawan pair is 11th.
In the 2019 World Cup in England, teams like India, England, South Africa, Australia and even Pakistan are expected to rule with run-machines at the top.
When the record between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups is considered, Rohit stands head and shoulders above the rest.
With 2,997 runs in 54 matches since April 1, 2015, Rohit not only has most runs, he also has the highest average of 65.15, most centuries (13), and joint fourthhighest in terms of half-centuries (11). He has also remained unbeaten eight times, the most in the list.
Rohit is also the only batsman since the last World Cup to hit more than 100 sixes — 106 and counting — which showcases his batting might.
Indeed, Rohit is leading India’s charge into the next World Cup as much as Kohli is.