Only 11 openers have scored over 500 ODI runs in 2023. While Rohit Sharma has the third-best average on this list of 47.08 this year, his strike rate of 108.23 is the best among these 11 openers.
He has struck 5 fifties and one century in 13 innings. A lack of a good conversion rate this year, as it wasn’t in earlier years with Rohit, is a talking point among fans and experts, but they are also to admit that Rohit Sharma has put an effort in playing attacking cricket – showing the “intent” at the top – and this has meant he sometimes gets out playing attacking shots.
Dinesh Karthik, who understands modern white-ball game like few do, recently made a brilliant remark on Rohit Sharma’s intent, and his “selfless” character as a captain and batsman.
On Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said: “He [Rohit] is somebody who, from being somebody who can relied upon to get those big big scores, to transform into this player who doesn’t mind playing the impactful knocks. He is willing to take risks at different point of time while others fail to do so. That’s why he ends up losing his wicket. Sometime you think ‘should he have played that shot?’. But being Rohit Sharma means being selfless. That he’s done really well.”
Rohit Sharma is sending out a message: Harsha Bhogle
Harsha Bhogle, who observes the game very keenly, agreed with Karthik’s opinions that Rohit is setting an example for others to follow about playing impactful knocks rather than boosting his own average.
Harsha Bhogle said: “His average has dropped a little bit – it’s not come down dramatically, but just a little bit. But the strike has gone up from 90 to 105. In our cricket discourses in our country, we are obsessed with individual records. Rohit is sending out a message saying, ‘I don’t mind making a quick 65 that sets the tempo for the whole side.’ In many ways, if you have to score 360, you are better off making 360/5 than making 360/2. Because it means more people have contributed to scoring those runs. Rohit is saying this is how I’m setting the base.”
Rohit will next be seen in the 3rd ODI against Australia as he’s rested from the first two ODIs vs Australia.
