94 THE WEEK • JUNE 30, 2019
WORLD CUP
ICC
2019
As the big scores keep coming, Rohit Sharma is being
hailed as one of India’s finest ODI batsmenRUN MACHINE
BY NEERU BHATIA/ManchesterF
or a tournament
where rain has played
spoilsport, there were
fears of the high-volt-
age India-Pakistan
clash also being
washed out. There was no rain on the
eve of the game as India came out to
practise at Old Trafford, but it was
cold and windy. As Rohit Sharma
left the net session, he asked for the
weather forecast for the match day.
When told rain was expected in the
afternoon, he quipped, “It better stay
away or the fans will burn the stadi-
um down.”
On match day, as the teams came
out after the rain interruption in the
afternoon, Rohit carried in his pocket
a sheet with the Duckworth-Lew-
is-Stern (DLS) method calculations
printed on it. Occasionally, between
overs, the India vice-captain would
take a peek at it. He is the team’s DLS
man most of the time.
He is also India’s run machine
in his own right. Rohit’s centuries
against South Africa and Pakistan
were different as day and night. His
122 (not out) in India’s opening game
was a patiently crafted innings. And,
his 140 against Pakistan was his third
fastest ton (85 balls)—a fluent, dom-
inant innings, laced with his trade-
mark pulls and cuts.
His high scores are not the result
of just bludgeoning the ball but mes-
merising strokes that are superbly REUTERS