Rohit Sharma - A modern day legend in his own rights

In a candid interview with Gaurav Kapur, Virat Kohli recalled some of his memories about Rohit Sharma. He reminisced how all his Delhi and Under-19 Indian teammates used to talk about him as the “Next Big Thing” in Indian cricket, a phrase often used for many. But then came a time when many were convinced that Rohit Sharma was just a passing cloud, which showers some memories and vanishes.

The lazy elegance, which we all hail right now, was once lambasted, his ability was under the scrutiny and few even suggested he can never adapt to International cricket. To have gone through all those adversities and to silence critics the way he did sounds like the quintessential stuff that makes up a fairytale, but it’s all real and inspiring.

Rohit’s career can be segregated into two parts, before and after he was made to open the innings by MS Dhoni. His career took an upward flight after some decent innings in the Champions Trophy 2013, which was followed by that unforgettable 7-match ODI series against Australia. He first scored a memorable 143 in Jaipur chasing down a mammoth 360 and in the decider of the series, he bludgeoned the first of his three double centuries.

The marathon man in Limited Overs

With every passing year, the Hitman started scaling new heights and it’d be fair to say, when he is in full flow, he is unbiased and very democratic towards the bowlers. No bowler gets spared during those catastrophic hours, even the best ones in the side. Australia suffered it in Bangalore, the Lankans were steamrolled in Kolkata and once again, it’s the Islanders who face the music of a Ro”Hitman” concert.

What is it with Rohit Sharma and all these marathon knocks in limited overs? Is it that easy as it appears to perform these terrestrial acts? Maybe this is the reason people keep telling he is one of the most naturally gifted cricketers ever. To be incredibly precise, this double ton at Mohali should rank as the best he has scored.

There are some facets to justify the point, one of them being the length of the boundaries in Mohali. Many cricketers believe these long boundaries in Mohali can only be cleared with proper connection and execution. In his previous two double tons, there were a few mishits which just about went over the ropes, but those would’ve been regulation catches here.

“There is a lightyear difference between captaining Mumbai Indians and Team India,” this was people’s opinion after watching the great Indian batting collapse and the newly minted Indian skipper had a point to prove. It was his wedding anniversary as well and he definitely would’ve hated a bad score on this momentous occasion.

“Legend” is a word used a little too loosely these days, but to term Rohit a “Modern day legend” makes complete sense. He is still making inroads in the longest format, but in ODIs and T20s, he is as good as the Warners, Amlas, and the Kohlis. To have witnessed this imperious batting masterclass itself is a privilege and the way he bullied and disparaged his counterparts so gracefully is an anecdote to cherish for the ages.