As Team India captain Rohit Sharma turned 36 on Sunday; we take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the achievements of the amazing batter.
Widely hailed as one of the best of his generation, Rohit continues to be a star batter for India, particularly in white-ball cricket.
This right-handed batter has entertained and mesmerised audiences worldwide with his classy strokeplay and calm mindset while batting or captaining his side. He is among the best players of Pull shot in the game, often employing it during powerplay overs in white-ball cricket. But there is also a patient and determined side of him visible when he dons the white colours. This versatility makes him a perfect all-format batter of the modern era.
In 2007, Rohit made his debut in international cricket. His first prominent performance that year, at the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, was impressive. In his three matches, he amassed 88 runs and went unbeaten. He made a strong contribution to his team’s victory with a 16-ball 30* against bitter rivals Pakistan in the championship match after opening with a fifty against Ireland.
Since then, this baby-faced youngster has become into one of the most lethal willow users in the sport. For the first six years of his career, the batter used to bat in the middle of the order. However, the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, where he had the opportunity to open with Shikhar Dhawan, sent his career graph sharply upward. In the competition, which India won, he amassed 177 runs in five innings at an average of 35.40, including two half-centuries.
A shot at opening the innings was a success and it transformed Rohit into one of the most destructive batters in the modern era. In 243 ODIs, he has scored 9.825 runs at an average of 48.63. He has 30 centuries and 48 fifties in the format, with 264 being his best individual score, which is also the best score in ODI cricket history. Rohit is also the only batter to have scored three double centuries in ODI cricket. Rohit’s ODI runs have come at a strike rate of 90.02.
He is the 15th-highest scorer in ODI cricket and the sixth-highest run-scorer among Indians, behind MS Dhoni (10,599), Rahul Dravid (10,768), Sourav Ganguly (11,221), Virat Kohli (12,898) and Sachin Tendulkar (18.426 runs). He has the third-highest ODI tons by any player, behind Virat (46) and Sachin (49).
At the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England, Rohit Sharma’s white-ball prowess was at its pinnacle, topping the run charts with 648 runs at an average of 81.00 in nine matches, including five centuries and a fifty. He made history by becoming the first player to ever score five centuries in a single World Cup tournament. The player reached the milestone in 217 innings, making him the third-fastest player in ODI cricket to 9,000 runs. He also reached 8,000 runs in ODI (200 innings) and 7,000 runs (181 innings) the fourth fastest.
Over the years, he has established himself as a reliable test opener too. In 49 matches and 83 innings, he has scored 3,379 runs at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of over 55. He has scored nine centuries and 14 fifties in the format, with the best score of 212. He is part of the Indian team which reached the final of the ICC World Test Championship in 2021 against New Zealand.
The ‘Hitman’ as he is known to the fans, is also an absolute gun T20I player. In 148 T20I matches, he has scored 3,853 runs at an average of 31.32 and a strike rate of 139.24. He has four centuries and 29 fifties in the format, with the best score of 118. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the format behind Virat Kohli (4,008 runs).
He has hit the most sixes in T20I cricket (182 sixes) and is the most-capped male player in the format (148 matches). He is part of the Indian team that won the T20 WC in 2007.
In international cricket overall, he has scored 17,057 runs at an average of 42.74. He has 43 centuries and 91 fifties in international cricket, with a best score of 264. He is the 29th highest-run-scorer in international cricket and the sixth-highest run-scorer ever for India, behind MS Dhoni (17,092), Sourav Ganguly (18,433), Rahul Dravid (24,064), Virat Kohli (25,322) and Sachin Tendulkar (34,357).
Rohit has made an impact in T20 cricket with his captaincy skills. He has won six IPL trophies, making him the most successful IPL player ever. He has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles as skipper (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), and won one with Deccan Chargers as a player (2009). On top of that, he is the fourth-highest run-getter in the league’s history, with a total of 6,060 runs in 234 matches, 229 innings at an average of 30.14, with one century and 41 half-centuries and best score of 109*. (ANI)
