For Rohit Sharma, a double century in T20 cricket is not beyond reach?

When he was dismissed, there was still 44 legal deliveries remaining, and Rohit needed 82 runs with the pitch almost same as a road!

Rohi Sharma celebrates his hundred at Indore | PTI

After hitting the first of the 21 sixes in India’s innings KL Rahul told Rohit Sharma: “There is one more double-hundred for the taking.” Even for a batsman who is known to leave spectators spellbound with his audacious strokeplay it might have sounded way bit ridiculous. We don’t know whether Rohit indeed gave a definitive thought of achieving what has been impossible so far — 200 in T20s — but what we do know is if an opener or a No 3 walks in the first over, on a pitch – rather a road – like the one in Indore’s Holkar Stadium, where over 432 runs were scored in 37.2 overs, the impossible may not have been far off.

Maybe Rohit even took Rahul’s words way too seriously but there was a period before he was dismissed in the 13th over, where Mount 200 was definitely within reach of the Mumbaikar. When he was dismissed, there was still 44 legal deliveries remaining, and Rohit needed 82 runs. Having seen the carnage he unleashed in Mohali where he scored the second half of his century off just 36 balls, even a brave punter would not have thought twice before placing a bet for a maiden double-hundred in T20s.

Rohit Sharma (L) celebrates his century during
the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka at the the
Holkar Stadium, Indore | BCCI

After beginning with a couple of boundaries in the first over off Angelo Mathews, Rohit’s first six arrived in the fourth over and of the next eight overs he was in the middle, he hit nine more sixes relying mostly on his strengths – playing with the field, playing scoops, hitting over point and over mid-wicket. Sri Lanka might have given up then and there.

Leave aside the bowling — which for 80 per cent of the innings looked gully cricket level, where full-toss and length deliveries seemed to be only one Lankans knew — and the flat pitch rolled out, the boundary size which on either side of the wicket was 69m, made batting all the more easy for Rohit. It was so easy Rahul had to walk-up to him during their record opening stand of 165 and tell him: “It’s unfair man, can’t hit balls with so much ease.”

Probably, Rahul was speaking on behalf of not just Sri Lanka bowlers, but even to the rest of the breed, who pick up the ball every time to get a wicket and only been made to be bowling machines in a format where there is absolutely no place for them to hog the limelight. The game has changed so rapidly and significantly by this monster called T20 that with every passing series the gap between bat and the ball is only widening. It doesn’t matter if the bat sizes have come down, or two new balls at each end, runs have become the norm everywhere that now we see captains looking for an opener who can get boundaries at the top rather than see off the new ball in Tests.

Virender Sehwag, who himself redeemed the way the openers approached Test cricket, tweeted, “Rohit Sharma! Mazaak bana rakha hai yaar. It ain’t this easy yaar.” Yes. It was a joke. Especially on the bowlers where their skills stood no chance against batsmen, whose stay in the middle had no threat except if they choose to commit a mistake.

For long the number 37 used to be a significant number for Indian fans. Before Rohit, no Indian came close to scoring a century of 37 deliveries. On Friday, he got there in 35 balls, but it didn’t mean much. It will definitely be one for Rohit, but for those watched his innings at the Holkar Stadium or watched it on television, it would all be a blur, by the time Saturday dawns.
venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com