MOHALI: After Rohit Sharma had stroked his way into the record books scoring 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata in 2014, then coach Duncan Fletcher received him with these words inside the dressing room, “You were slow at the beginning. If not, you could have scored 300.” These are not the words a batsman expects to hear after playing a once-in-a-lifetime innings. But the Zimbabwean had actually summed up what the batsman can do in ODIs.
In limited-over formats, Rohit isn't content with hundreds. Rather, he thrives on converting them into daddy hundreds (seven of his 16 centuries are 140-plus). For a batsman, 100 in ODIs is a huge number. When they cross that, they feel like as if a burden is taken off and tend to open up, often swinging at everything. Some cash in on that, while some throw it away. But as Rohit showed once again on Wednesday, he is different. He doesn’t swing his bat without purpose. Rather, he starts timing and connecting better and gets into that zone that batsmen often dream about.
Despite being an opener in an era where fireworks are expected in the initial overs, he prefers to get his eye in, often at the cost of creating a big difference in the number of balls faced and runs scored. It looks at times he is putting pressure on himself. But Rohit can catch up later with his effortless six-hitting capabilities. That's why the team management gives him the license to go slow at the start. On days he fails, it looks bad. But on days like these, the team can rest assured it has a winning total on the board.
Rohit’s third double century followed a similar pattern. In Bengaluru in 2013, he had reached 100 off the 114th delivery and it was only in the 43rd over when he was on 128 that his strike rate touched 100. From there he ended up with 209 off 158 balls (SR 132.27). On way to the record ODI innings in Kolkata, his 50 came off 72 before he upped the ante and got the next four in 28, 25, 26 and 15 deliveries to finish with a strike rate of 152.60.
On Wednesday, Rohit’s construction pattern was no different. Alongside Shikhar Dhawan, he first concentrated on building a foundation. When Dhawan was dismissed having put on 115, Rohit’s contribution was 46 off 60. Then alongside Shreyas Iyer for the second wicket he added 213. He made 114 of those off 76 balls and the acceleration was so menacing that by the time he shifted to fifth gear, there was nothing Sri Lanka could do to stop him.
His first 50 took 65 deliveries, 100 came up in 115. India went into the last 10 overs at 245/1. Then Suranga Lakmal bowled the 43rd over which was the release point Rohit was waiting for. He was in that zone, where the bowlers can hardy err in line or length. Lakmal’s three full-tosses went over mid-wicket, square-leg, square-leg again, and the fourth, a length ball, soared over mid-wicket. A rare dot ball ended the over before Nuwan Pradeep faced the music as his full-toss — Lanka gifted plenty of those — was swept over fine-leg. Another sailed over long-on. Six sixes off seven deliveries and Rohit went to 150 from 100 off 18 deliveries.
It seemed this can't go on. But it did, as Pradeep and captain Thisara Perera started bowling harmless length balls and short deliveries at the death. They were asking to be hit and Rohit obliged each one of them. At times, it appeared he was showing off by shuffling across and sweeping from outside off over fine-leg. The double arrived in the 50th over. From 100, it took Rohit only 36 deliveries, thanks to 11 sixes and four boundaries.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com