Rohit Sharma has Sachin Tendulkar to thank
Rohit Sharma has Mumbai Indians skipper Tendulkar to thank for his brilliance in the West Indies.
- mid-day.com
- Updated: July 20, 2011 02:30 PM IST
Rohit Sharma has Mumbai Indians skipper Tendulkar to thank for his brilliance in the West Indies.
"He is more disciplined now. He knows when to defend or attack. Spending quality time with Sachin (Tendulkar) for Mumbai Indians has helped him. He is now a very composed batsman." That's what stand-in India skipper Suresh Raina had to say about Rohit Sharma's knock of 86 in the third ODI on Saturday. The knock helped India beat West Indies by three wickets and with it, seal its first consecutive ODI series win in the Caribbean.
Rohit's first coach Dinesh Lad said in an interview to this paper during Indian Premier League IV that his ward will go from strength to strength under Tendulkar at Mumbai Indians.
Rohit debuted for Mumbai in the 2006-07 Ranji Trophy season, but rarely got a chance to play alongside Tendulkar. He, however, got it when Mumbai Indians picked him up at the player auction earlier this year. "Rohit is certainly a very talented player. He has a wide range of strokes. Being in Sachin's company has certainly helped Rohit take his game to the next level," T A Sekar, Mumbai Indians' Director of Cricket told MiD DAY yesterday.
"Sachin is an educationist both on and off the field. All youngsters should learn to conduct themselves like him.
Sachin never hesitates to give advice to anyone who wants it. He is never insecure in sharing his success secrets. Rohit must have certainly gained a lot from Sachin's invaluable experience," he added.
Rohit was often seen talking to Tendulkar during practice sessions. "A gifted player," is how the batting master described him.
The young gun gives the impression that he gets bored easily. He might play some classical drives before throwing away his wicket in bizarre fashion.
Scoring 1409 runs in 64 one-dayers, Rohit has not done justice to his batting talent.
However, by his own admission, he is hungrier for success than ever, especially after the 2011 World Cup snub.
Right things
He has done the right things on the West Indies tour so far. In the one-off T20 International, Rohit contributed 26 runs and helped stitch a 71-run partnership with S Badrinath to steer India home. Rohit's matured knock of 68 not out in the first ODI at Trinidad helped India win by four wickets. He had a 43-run partnership with left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan followed by an 80-run stand with skipper Raina. On Saturday, he once again bailed India out, batting along with Harbhajan Singh after being reduced to 92 for six, chasing 225.
Paras Mhambrey, Mumbai Indians' assistant coach, said Rohit has worked very hard on his fitness. "His approach has changed. He is more serious about his cricket," Mhambrey, a former India pacer, said before adding, "he has realised that it's not just skills that will take him places.
"He used to bat for long hours in the nets. All this is reaping rewards now."