Sairaj Bahutule, the Indian national cricket team’s bowling coach for the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka, has heaped praise on captain Rohit Sharma for his batting masterclass in the first ODI. He said the way the opening batsman batted, it didn’t look like he had taken a break.
India captain Rohit Sharma, who played his first ODI since the ICC World Cup 2023 final, was in superb form in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. The opening batsman played a sensational innings and ensured that he gave his team a spectacular start.
Chasing 231 runs, Rohit Sharma started his innings on a dominant note. On the second ball of the innings, he came down the track and hit the massive six to get his innings going, and after that, there was no looking back for him.
The Indian captain batted aggressively throughout his innings and ensured that his team maximised the powerplay. He scored a brutal half-century in just 33 balls, while he seemed to be batting on a different track. While other batsmen struggled to get into rhythm, his innings were of great value to the team.
Rohit Sharma finished with an innings of 58 runs off 47 balls. The opening batsman batted at a strike rate of over 123 and also hit 7 fours and 3 sixes in his innings. He added 75 runs opening the partnership with Shubman Gill to put Sri Lanka on the back foot.
Sairaj Bahutule was amazed by the way Rohit Sharma batted. He praised the Indian batsman for taking responsibility and taking on the opposition in every game, and asserted that he will continue to bat in the same manner. Speaking during a press conference, he explained:
“Rohit and his innings were fantastic because I think after the World Cup, this is the first ODI innings he’s played and it didn’t look like there was a break, so fabulous, he takes responsibility, he takes it against any opposition, any pace attack, he’s very positive in his intent and I think that’s the way he always plays and he’ll continue to play.”
Rohit Sharma equals Sachin Tendulkar for most fifty-plus scores for India
Rohit Sharma’s stunning half-century also helped him equal Sachin Tendulkar on a massive feat. He now shares the most scores of 50 and over by an Indian opener in international cricket across all formats.
Both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar now have 120 fifty-plus scores. They follow Graeme Smith (125), Desmond Haynes (131), Sanath Jayasuriya (136), Chris Gayle (144) and David Warner (146) in the list of those with the most fifty-plus scores.
Rohit Sharma also surpassed 1000 fours in ODI cricket. He became the fifth Indian player to achieve the feat, joining the likes of Sourav Ganguly (1122), Virender Sehwag (1132), Virat Kohli (1294) and Sachin Tendulkar (2016) on the list of the most number of fours by an Indian batsman in the history of 50-overs cricket.
