CWC 2019: Rohit Sharma’s magnum opus
122*, 57, 140, 1, 18, 102, 104, 103, 1.
Get this run series tattoed because it is worthy of it. Ardent Indian fans will easily recognise this to be the scores of Rohit Sharma in the 2019 World Cup. They may even reply with the opponents and the venues at which these scores were recorded. It was that special.
The warm-up matches did not give a hint of what was to come. In the first warm-up game against New Zealand, Trent Boult – the left-arm seamer removed Rohit with a typical LBW dismissal off an in-swinger. The opener failed to connect a pull-shot against Bangladesh in the second warm-up game. It was perhaps Rohit’s way to get these dismissals out of his system because South Africa could not dismiss him in India’s first match of the tournament.
Chasing down 228 on the tricky pitch of Southampton against Rabada and co, Rohit ended up with a stellar knock of 122 not out. It was his slowest century – brought up in 128 balls, but Captain Virat Kohli lauded it to be Rohit’s best ODI knock ever. Kohli described it wonderfully by saying, “He (Rohit) played the perfect innings for that kind of a situation, on that kind of a wicket, against a bowling attack that was threatening to pick up wickets at any stage.”
Also read: Rohit Sharma joins legends with record-breaking century
In the high-voltage clash against Pakistan at Manchester, the 32-year old took his batting to another level. He was pulling, driving, cutting, slashing. Bossing the Pakistani bowling attack, Rohit brought up his 140 in just 113 balls. With 12 overs in hand, he was heading towards another double-century when he played the mistimed scoop. However, Rohit still gave the moment of the World Cup when he replicated Sachin’s uppercut from 2003.
Sachin in 2003 or Rohit in 2019 – who did it better? pic.twitter.com/M9k8z5lLQd
— ICC (@ICC) June 16, 2019
After two low scores, Rohit began his most consistent streak in the ODIs. The right-hander smashed three consecutive hundreds to take his tournament tally to five centuries – becoming the first batsman ever to do so. He was cautious against England, audacious against Bangladesh and authoritative against Sri Lanka. One of the high points was him smashing Sri Lanka’s part-time spinner Dhananjaya de Silva for two sixes in three balls.
Rohit’s World Cup ended against New Zealand. It was Matt Henry who forced an outside edge off his blade. The in-form batsman’s departure was a body blow for the Indian side. The 18-run loss ended India’s journey and sparkling World Cup for Rohit. Falling just 27 runs short of Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record, the Indian opener amassed 648 runs in just nine matches. He is currently the highest run-getter of the 2019 World Cup.
The Indian campaign was in a great danger when Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the World Cup after only the second game. But rising up to the occasion, Rohit made up for his missing partner. The opener alone scored almost 27% of his team runs in the tournament.
As India were exiting the tournament, there was an image of desolate Rohit standing in a corner of the dressing room. His hunger for runs was cut short abruptly. After scoring his fourth century of the World Cup, Rohit had said he treated it as his first hundred and every day was a new start for him. Hopefully, he will remember the unfulfilled dream if and when he steps out to bat in the 2023 World Cup.
We failed to deliver as a team when it mattered, 30 minutes of poor cricket yesterday & that snatched away our chance for the cup. My heart is heavy as I’m sure yours is too.The support away from home was incredible.Thank you all for painting most of uk blue wherever we played ??
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 11, 2019
