The Best of 2017- Year that defined Rohit Sharma

The year 2017 has been nothing short of phenomenal for Team India’s limited-overs Rohit Sharma. His numbers in all three formats boas the magnificence of the 30-year-old batter. In the limited opportunities he got at Test level he made sure to play to his credentials and defeat all odds to resplendent as Virat Kohli’s numbers. The year also gave him the small drive to demonstrate his captaincy skills at the International level, considering his dazzling record in Indian Premier League.

He has not only evolved as a batsman over a period of time but has also been able to produce the need of the hour performance. He has matured and has started to take the all-important responsibility at the top. Coming back from a frustrating injury to finishing the year being one of the most consistent batsmen speaks volumes about his character. Here is the gist of some moments which made him look different from others.

Injury that took some time

Rohit suffered a thigh injury during a series against New Zealand back in 2016 which forced him to sit out for a considerable time. He had to notch his game standards along with his fitness to be back at the stature he belonged. He worked regressively with full fortitude and trained under the proper guidance amidst rehab. Today, after a long stint, he would definitely be patting himself for what he has been able to achieve for his nation and of course, his personal milestones.

Dream ODI run

This year Rohit played 21 matches and scored 1293 runs at an astonishing average of 71.83 and strike rate nearing 100. While manufacturing 1293 runs, he scored six hundreds and a scintillating double hundred against the Islanders in the limited-overs series.

The third double hundred in ODIs made him the only batsman in the history of the game to have that record in List A cricket. Suffice to say, he carries the blueprint for scoring those daddy hundreds. This year, he was phenomenally consistent matching the insuperably prolific all-time skipper Virat Kohli.

Records coming his way

Records of other prolific batsmen started to tumble when Rohit set out to have a taste of it. He scored the triple of double tons against Sir Lanka in the ODI series, and also became the batsman with the most number of sixes in the calendar year in ODI cricket. The remarkable year ended with Rohit scoring the joint fastest T20 International hundred in just 35 deliveries.

Leadership- comes from within for Rohit

Having witnessed his captaincy skills in the IPL, his leadership acumen and how it has helped Mumbai Indians win three titles, the job wasn’t expected to be that difficult for Rohit. In the absence of Kohli, he was able to fill in shoes quite perfectly and didn’t let the absence be felt.

Though Indian selectors gave him the opportunity for a short span, the 30-year-old was able to prove his stature in both ODI as well as T20I series. The influence which made him look different from Virat was his ability to stay calm in pressure situations and back his bowlers even when the tide was against them. He stuck with them and didn’t look for options, which certainly paid off not only in the immediate game but has sown the seeds in developing the bowler into a much confident cricketer.

He also made a crucial decision let MS Dhoni bat up the order which helped the veteran play to his strength, with the freedom he could spend some time in the middle and it earned them the dividends as well. It will be interesting to see if the selectors are bold enough to hand over the T20I reigns to Rohit something most people have been talking about for the longest time.