'He's just pure class' - Josh Hazlewood opens up on Rohit Sharma's greatest strength

Apart from his run-scoring spree, Rohit Sharma is widely recognised as one of the best timers of the ball. The right-hander is often termed ‘gifted’ by his fans for the impeccable timing which he possesses. Rohit’s meteoric rise in white-ball cricket was witnessed by the world when he was assigned the opener’s role.

Over the years, Rohit has emerged as an indispensable part of the Indian side. Be it his massive tons or effortless batting, the Nagpur-born stalwart has stitched many memorable knocks for India including three ODI double tons. He has gathered over 14,000 runs across all formats while donning the India jersey in 224 ODIs, 108 T20Is, and 32 Tests so far.

One unique trait about Rohit is his relaxed on-field approach. Even while decimating the mightest bowling forces, Rohit has a touch of effortlessness in his strokeplay and attitude. He was the highest run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup, where he amassed five tons at a staggering average of 81.

Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood also acknowledged Rohit’s ‘elegance’ which he flaunts while hitting a flurry of boundaries in his knocks. According to Hazlewood, Rohit’s staggering records, especially in white-ball cricket, speak for the class which he possesses.

Rohit never looks to bludgeon the ball: Josh Hazlewood

“He’s got many. I think it’s just with how the ease that he plays, especially anything back of a length, anything short, just puts it away with such ease. It’s just an area in which he gets better, I think. He never looks to bludgeon the ball, just pure class and elegance. His records, especially in white-ball cricket, is phenomenal,” said the Australian quick on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected.

When asked whether Rohit’s ‘grace’ and ‘effortlessness’ annoys bowlers, Hazlewood affirmed that the India opener is one of the frustrating ones to bowl to.

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean the batters through our time, obviously are the frustrating ones to bowl to. Even when someone who came quicker like Mitchell Starc or Pat Cummins’ bowling to those guys, it doesn’t seem fast and that’s probably the one thing that sticks out when you are bowling to these types of players,” added Hazlewood, who has donned the Australia jersey in 51 Tests, 48 ODIs and 7 T20Is.