2663 is India’s golden number in T20 cricket right now. Two of the best Indian batsmen sit on top of the international run-scorers list in this format. Rohit and Virat have been the mainstay of India’s batting lineup across formats. They’ve successfully handled tough situations by portraying their natural games. But with success comes competition and competition gives birth to the comparison.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been compared a lot off lately, especially after their numbers in the 2019 World Cup.
Speaking of the 2019 World Cup, the first thing that comes into any cricket analyst’s mind is Rohit’s series of 5 centuries.
The Mumbai batsman has grown as a player and now boasts to be one of the best openers in world cricket. However, there are certain shots that make Rohit a brand, shots that no one can beat him at, not even his captain, Virat Kohli.
Following are the 3 shots Rohit Sharma plays better than Virat Kohli:
1) Pull shot:
What amazes everyone is the way Rohit executes an attacking shot like this without any violence and with sheer ease. Virat may shuffle here and there and may have his body arching sideways but Rohit stays still and calm throughout the shot. He effortlessly puts away anything that is short, and this shot has Sharma’s trademark on it.
Rohit seems to be slapping the ball but in complete control. Even when Rohit gets caught while attempting the pull, the frame where the ball touched the bat looks elegant and delicate.
2) Square Cut:
Get an off-spinner to bowl wide of the crease and Rohit guides the ball carefully in the deep square. Not only the spinners but the fast bowlers also face Rohit’s ruthless cuts.
While Virat Kohli also plays the shot often and very well, Rohit trumps the Delhi batsman as the timing is impeccable. Virat himself admitted in an interview that Rohit Sharma seems to have an extra second to play the ball. This type of batting is called lazy elegance.
3) Scoop shot:
“Virat Kohli awestruck with Rohit Sharma’s unbelievable scoop shot,” a headline read on March 2,2019. While Virat hardly plays this shot, Rohit has a weird obsession with it. The practice has made the 32-year-old such an expert at this modern cricket shot.
Rohit carefully beats the wicketkeeper and directs the ball towards fine leg, mostly lofted to score regular boundaries. This is a shot not many batsmen can play and not many bowlers can judge. Being a very risky shot, Rohit loses his wickets sometimes but mostly the ball runs to the boundary line.
