Despite his immense talent and potential, Rohit Sharma's ODI figures have been nothing more than ordinary for a third of his career. He had just scored 1978 runs in 81 innings at an average of 30.43 and a strike rate of 77.9 with two hundreds and 12 fifties. Nothing to write home about! January 23, 2013, India vs England, 4th ODI, Mohali: Rohit Sharma was ordered to open the innings for India. He had batted as an opener three times before in 2011, but that was more of a temporary role than a motivated push. Rohit scored an impressive 83 off 93 deliveries to help India chase England's set target of 258 runs. That innings changed something in Rohit – the ODI batsman. He never looked back. India had unearthed a new star at the top of the rankings. Since the start of 2013, Rohit – the ODI opener has amassed 8807 runs in 173 innings at a staggering average of 56.45 and a strike rate of 96.29 with 29 hundreds and 44 fifties. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest ODI openers of all time. Fast forward to 2019.
He was already an all-time great in limited-overs cricket. He had amassed 8686 runs in ODIs in 211 innings at an average of 48.5 with 27 hundreds. He had broken numerous records during the 2019 World Cup in England, scoring 648 runs in just nine innings, including five tons! His T20I figures were also astonishing. Only Virat Kohli had a higher aggregate and no one had registered more centuries than his four in the format. Despite these colossal achievements in white-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma struggled to make a name for himself in Test cricket, as these statistics suggest.
THE BATTLE IN TEST CRICKET
Rohit's figures in Test cricket were below par for the first 27 Tests of his career – 1585 runs in 27 matches at an average of 39.6 with three hundreds and 10 fifties. Although he had magnificently recorded two hundreds in his first two appearances in the format, Rohit had failed to live up to expectations after that and his future in red-ball cricket looked uncertain. He had failed in 13 of the 27 Tests he played for India, from his debut in November 2013 to the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in 2018. Rohit's overall average was also skewed a bit by his performances at home. While his figures in India were quite impressive – 769 runs in nine matches at an average of 85.4 with three hundred and fifty, the true yardstick for judging any batsman has always been his performance abroad, outside their comfort zone, and this is where Rohit did that. failed miserably. He had played most of his Test cricket outside the country where he had grossly underperformed!
He totaled just 816 runs in 18 away Tests at a paltry average of 26.3 with five fifties but no century. His returns in 2018 were poor and he tread a thin rope in Test cricket. He could score only 184 runs in eight overseas innings at an average of 26.28, with just one fifty in the calendar year. Time was running out for Rohit – the Test batsman. There were calls for him to be removed from the team.
MASTERSTROKE 2.0 – BIRTH OF ROHIT THE TEST OPENER
India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Vizag, October 2-6, 2019: Rohit Sharma is ordered to open the innings for the very first time in Test cricket.
It's his last chance to leave a mark on the format. Rohit grabbed the opportunity with both hands and hit not one but two hundreds in the match – his 176 off 244 balls in the first innings was followed by 127 off 149 in the second! Only five other Indians had achieved this unique feat of registering a ton in each innings of a Test – Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane! India defeated South Africa by 203 runs. The performance transforms Rohit – the test batter. For the second time in his cricketing career, the decision to push Rohit to open the innings proves to be a masterstroke! Rohit is emerging as a real match-winner for India at the top of the rankings. Since the Vizag test, Rohit's test numbers have been on the rise. He scored 2563 runs in 34 matches at an average of 48.35, including nine hundreds (including a double hundred) and seven fifties.
Only Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne has scored more runs than Rohit as a Test opener since October 2019. Rohit's nine tons is also the highest for any opening batsman in this time frame and his average puts him at number 4 among the 18 openers who have scored at least 1000 runs in this period.
THE CHANGE IN OVERSEAS FORTUNES
Rohit has played 22 Tests in his avatar as an opener in India and scored 1644 runs at an average of 51.37, including seven hundreds and two fifties. An important characteristic of his batting is his strike rate and the intention he has shown against the new ball. Rohit – the opener – has a strike rate of 65.16 at home, which shows his aggressive mentality. Not only does it take the shine off the new ball and break the spirit of the opposition bowlers, but it also leaves enough time for the Indian bowlers to bowl out the opposition twice – something Virender Sehwag noted in the 2000s brilliantly for the country. Rohit's biggest impact in this time frame came against England in the second Test in Chennai in 2021. India trailed 0-1 in the series and found their backs against the wall after a treacherous wicket at Chepauk.
Almost every other Indian batsman struggled in the conditions, but Rohit counter-attacked to hit a brilliant 161 off just 231 deliveries, helping India reach a total of over 300 and an ascendancy position. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest strokes by any batsman in the subcontinent. However, the real transformation was seen in his performances abroad. Since the start of 2021, Rohit has amassed a total of 919 runs in just 12 Tests at an average of 43.76, with two hundred and five fifty outside India. He combined with Shubman Gill to give India a solid start in both innings at the SCG before scoring a smooth 44 in the first innings in Brisbane – playing his part in the historic 2021 win! Rohit's 83rd and his opening century stand with KL Rahul were major contributors to India's huge win at Lord's in the English summer. He then registered his maiden overseas Test ton in the fourth Test at The Oval, where his brilliant 127 in the second innings helped India level the series at 2-2. Rohit scored another hundred abroad a few years later – against West Indies at Roseau.
INDIA'S HIGHEST RUN-GETTER IN TESTS SINCE OCT 2019
The Big 3 – Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane – suffered a major slump between 2020 and 2021. Rohit rose to the occasion for India and scored heavy runs in this difficult period for Indian batsmen in Test cricket. Rohit has a better batting average than Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant since he moved to his new avatar as an opener. No Indian batsman has scored more runs than Rohit in his time frame and neither has registered more hundreds than his nine. Rohit is currently rated as one of the best Test openers in the world. He is an impact player and a match winner for India at the top of the order. Those two days in Mohali and Vizag, almost seven years apart, changed his life forever!
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