CHENNAI: Known for his abilities to score big hundreds in ODIs, Rohit Sharma, revealed on Wednesday that his strength as a batsman lies in looking for another hundred when he crosses the three-figure mark. The unbeaten 208 was his third in the format, a record tally as the four others to have posted 200 in ODIs have done so only once.
Like the previous two, Rohit began slow, before gradually increasing pace and finally accelerating. At the end of the match, the stand-in captain was asked about the pattern in which he constructs his innings. His reply was that once a batsman crosses three figures, it is always difficult for bowlers to get him unless he throws it away.
“That (slow start) is my style of play. The first hundred took a little longer. After that, you are set and seeing the ball nice and hard and you have understood what the bowlers are trying to do. It's all about trying to play with the field once you get past that hundred. For me, it's all about not making mistakes and getting out. I am not saying it's impossible or difficult, but it's very unlikely that the bowlers are going to get you out once you have scored 100. It can happen if you get a good ball, but eight out of 10 times you will not. So it was all about me not making a mistake and batting as long as possible. That's what I did. I just wanted to bat long. That's my strength. Once you get 100, why not get another,” Rohit said.
Rohit, who carried the bat, had only one six to his name when he crossed hundred. But in a span of nine balls he hit seven of those, and missed one after hitting Suranga Lakmal for four successive sixes in as many legitimate deliveries. Even during his first double hundred, he had hit a record 18 sixes – the highest for India – and now he has 45 in this year, the most for an Indian.
Though he hit them long and big, what stood out the most was the way Rohit used the five-fielder rule to his advantage. With Sri Lanka looking to bowl fuller length deliveries around the fifth-stump channel, Rohit often opened himself a bit, thereby creating room to play over fine-leg and covers.
“If you look at the game, their bowlers were trying to bowl outside off stump yorkers. So you had to do something. You can't just stay in the crease and let the bowlers bowl what they wants to. You have to do something around the crease so that it plays in their heads. I was just trying to do that. I’m not someone like AB de Villiers, or Chris Gayle or MS Dhoni for sure. I don’t have that much power. I was trying to play with the field, playing a scoop shot, trying to hit over point. Those are my strengths. It is not always that you can clear the rope easily. So that is the advantage of having five fielders inside. You can play with the field and shot selection becomes very important.” he added.