Sometimes it takes an external spark to push a fledging career back on track. When tested methods fail, it requires a touch from unexpected quarters to breathe life into a body that is struggling to put things together.
Rohit Sharma’s journey in IPL 6 can be described as one such experience. The world had seen flashes of his talent from time to time and yet, the Mumbai batsman did little to show all that. After nearly six years in international cricket and close to 90 ODIs, Rohit is still the ‘talented batsman’, not the finished product, who can be expected to shoulder responsibility.
If he was looking for an impetus, Rohit can look at this IPL as one. Not only did he end Mumbai’s wait for the title, he also achieved something creditable on the personal front by becoming the youngest skipper to win the IPL. In terms of fulfilment, he can cherish this for a while before flying out to England for the Champions Trophy.
It's not that Rohit’s bat had set the stage on fire. There were the Husseys, Gayles and Rainas to take care of that. But Rohit's achievement was no less significant, given he was sixth on the list of highest scorers while shepherding his team to the title. The bat did produce some classy runs when the team needed them and this experience of handling two responsibilities successfully might just be something he needed to translate his potential into something tangible. "It was tough when we changed our captain,” Rohit said after that final. “I have really enjoyed this role after being handed the captaincy. I knew the responsibility would fall on me since I was vice-captain for two years. It's amazing to win the IPL with Mumbai.”
Rohit hardly has a week to enjoy this feeling. The Champions Trophy starts on June 6 and he will get yet another chance to cement his place in the XI. Considering his class, he should have done this by now, but due to some reason, that has not happened. With the IPL title under his belt now, Rohit can approach his cricket in a new frame of mind, with memories of success superceding fear of failure.
Earlier, when he walked out to bat, Rohit knew he had it in him. At the same time, he must have had thoughts of too many failures, which kept him from approaching his game with the confidence required to conquer the challenges. Rohit can now at least tell himself he has success up his sleeves. Who knows, maybe this is what he needed before opening the floodgates.
