Last Update on: November 14th, 2023 at 01:58 pm
Aakash Chopra believes Rohit Sharma deserves more credit for India’s unbeaten run in the World Cup both as a batter and a captain because of his completely selfless approach. Rohit Sharma has led India to the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with nine out of nine wins in the league stage. He has given flying starts to the Indian innings more often than not and has marshaled his bowling resources phenomenally.
Aakash Chopra was asked whether Rohit should get more credit for the way he is managing both the responsibilities as a captain and as an opener. He replied in the affirmative, stating, “I am with you 100 per cent. When you bat at the top of the order, whether you are chasing or batting first, you have the canvas of the entire 50 overs. So you apply small strokes and move ahead if you are making a painting.”
The former Indian opener added, “Then you can apply bigger strokes later, and no one can stop Rohit Sharma. The circle (field restrictions) and all don’t make a difference to Rohit Sharma. When he hits, the ball goes into the stands. However, there isn’t a selfish bone in his body, the fearless way in which he bats.”
Rohit Sharma Is Currently The Fourth-Highest Run Getter In The Tournament
Rohit has scored 503 runs at a swashbuckling strike rate of 121.49 in nine innings in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Despite batting so aggressively, he is the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament, behind teammate Virat Kohli (594), Quinton de Kock (591), and Rachin Ravindra (565).
Not only did Aakash Chopra highlight that Rohit Sharma is making the job easy for other batters but he also praised him for batting responsibly when team India was in a spot of bother against England. He commented, “In fact, he is doing so well that whoever is going to come from No. 3 to No. 6, does not have to worry at all about the strike rate. However, on a day when they became 25/3, he showed that he could play a cautious knock against England. So Rohit Sharma as a batter – outstanding.”
The ex-cricketer who turned commentator also glorified Rohit Sharma’s handling of his bowlers as India’s captain. He explained, “As a captain, he uses the bowling extremely well. When you have only five bowlers, you feel at times when and if you should use the sixth bowler, but he is absolutely exceptional. It doesn’t work out without a good captain.”
The Men in Blue were hit hard as they lost a frontline sixth bowling option when Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the tournament after suffering an ankle injury against Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma rotated the five available bowlers effectively and even tried out a few part-timers including himself and Virat Kohli in the final league stage game against the Netherlands. He and Virat both grabbed a wicket against the Netherlands and hopefully, we can see more of them with the ball in the coming days.
