Rohit Sharma… a legend in the making | Eisha Acton
Today’s story is about a very special Indian cricketer. He was awarded the Rajiv Khel Ratna Award last summer (India’s highest sporting honour). The prestigious award came as no surprise. 2019 was a defining one for this cricketer’s career - five centuries in the World Cup is just one achievement. Of course, I’m talking about Rohit Sharma!
Rohit Sharma is a 33 year old International cricketer who is the vice-captain of the Indian national team in limited-overs formats. He is the only cricketer in the history of cricket to score more than one ODI double centuries.
In January 2020, Sharma was named as the ODI Cricketer of the Year by the ICC. Any cricket fan can appreciate that Rohit Sharma’s hard work and dedication to the game is worthy of recognition. In this video I’m going to list all the reasons why I think Rohit Sharma is a legend in the making…
Let’s talk about Rohit’s immense talent with the bat…
The scores he’s achieved in the shorter formats of the game are simply outstanding. In 2017 Rohit Sharma made history:
In the second one-day international against Sri Lanka — India needed to win to keep the three-game series alive. Rohit stepped up to the occasion and scored his THIRD ODI double century. Just to put into perspective this feat- no other batsman in the world has more than one. The only other batsmen to hit ODI double hundreds are Martin Gupptill(237*), Virender Sehwag (219), Chris Gayle (215) and Sachin Tendulkar (200*).
When Sourav Ganguly was asked to comment on Rohit’s nomination for the Khel Ratna Award he said:”He has set new benchmarks as a batsman. He has achieved scores people thought were not possible in the shorter formats of the game.” The fact Rohit Sharma holds the record for the highest individual score in ODI history is a prime example of how his milestones inspire the world of cricket. He achieved this incredible benchmark by playing a knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka in 2014.
In 2019 alone Rohit struck a record-breaking five centuries during the ODI world cup. In 2019 Rohit also showed his worth in test cricket too when he was promoted to the opener’s slot, he certainly showed us he belongs there by scoring a sensational maiden double-century.
Rohit Sharma leads by example…
His reputation as a skillful leader was one of the reasons for the Rajiv Khel Ratna Award. He’s led the Mumbai Indians to four IPL titles! VVS Laxman recently commented on Rohit Sharma’s awe-inspiring leadership skills in an interview: ‘Rohit was getting into the core group, helping the youngsters, voicing his opinion and those were early signs, that’s why he’s one of the most successful captains in IPL history”.
Aside from remarkable IPL captaincy records, as vice captain of the Indian national team Rohit Sharma uses the international stage to demonstrate how perfectly dynamic his set up with Captain Kohli is. They are clearly both natural born leaders and their combination of qualities make India a formidable force. Where Virat Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve, Rohit Sharma keeps his passion under wraps. He’s shown on several occasions the ability to remain calm and composed during crunch time. More recently, when the T20I series between India and Bangladesh was on the line. In the absence of Kohli, the pressure was high and Rohit’s tactical know-how and pep talk seemed to lead a much-needed turnaround for the Men In Blue.
A role model on and off the pitch…
Outside cricket, Rohit Sharma is an active supporter of animal welfare campaigns. Not only has he worked with PETA to raise awareness of homeless cats and dogs in India, he’s also the official Rhino Ambassador for WWF-India. For me personally as an animal-loving Vegan, I appreciate any sportsman or woman who takes time out of their demanding schedule to support animal rights.
Well that’s about it, all the reasons why Rohit Sharma is a legend in the making. What are your standout moments of his? For me, his 2019 World Cup performances come top of the list! The part he played in India’s 2019 World Cup campaign is truly unforgettable. Thanks for reading and do follow for more Indian Cricket content.