Krishnamachari Srikkanth praises Rohit Sharma, says he knows how to build innings

He was India’s highest run-getter in that historic final at Lord’s on June 25, 1983. Batting against the formidable bowling attack of Clive Lloyd, Krishnamachari Srikkanth managed 38 off 57 balls that made a substantial contribution to India’s total of 183 that proved to be match-winning at the end. He had gone on to open for India in the next two World Cups as well and today, he feels proud to see his successor Rohit Sharma almost single-handedly pulling India through in yet another quadrennial event.

Srikkanth or ‘Chika’ as he is fondly called, who also served as India’s captain and chief selector, praised Rohit saying the latter knows his responsibility and how to pace his innings more conservatively. Rohit slammed the fourth hundred of the ICC World Cup 2019 against Bangladesh at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

It was also his second consecutive hundred at the same ground and with that completed four centuries in a single World Cup which equals the rare record of former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara though he hit four centuries in consecutive innings. Rohit also broke the record of former captain Sourav Ganguly as the Indian batsman with the most number of centuries in one edition of the World Cup.

“Four amazing centuries in a single ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is remarkable. He is now level with Kumar Sangakkara for the most-ever in a single World Cup, and I thought he was exceptional against Bangladesh,” Srikkanth wrote in his ICC column.

Rohit has now five WC centuries

Rohit now has five centuries at the World Cup though all of them have come against Test-playing nations, unlike Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting (both have five in all), Ganguly (four) and the leader of the lot Sachin Tendulkar (six out of which three were against non-Test-playing countries).

“You cannot ask for anything more from an opening batsman. Rohit knows when to attack and when to build an innings more conservatively. In this game he was aggressive from the start and his 104 really gave India the momentum early on. Contrast that with the hundred he scored against South Africa in the first game, two completely different innings, but equally as important,” Srikkanth, who played 43 Tests and 146 ODIs, said.