You don’t see him getting stuck in the 90s: Former NZ pacer rates Rohit Sharma ahead of Sachin Tendulkar
Last month, Doull had told Cricbuzz that Rohit takes the first place in his all-time ODI XI, and followed it up by picking the batsman as his opener in India’s all-time ODI team.
Cricket commentator and former New Zealand quick Simon Doull has in the past called Rohit Sharma his best ODI batsman, but his adulation for the batsman seems to have grown even further on Thursday as he indirectly rated the India opener ahead of the great Sachin Tendulkar. Last month, Doull had told Cricbuzz that Rohit takes the first place in his all-time ODI XI, and followed it up by picking the batsman as his opener in India’s all-time ODI team. Highlighting Rohit’s ability to maintain a similar tempo throughout the innings, Doull explained how the batsman hardly slows down, a feature not many associated with Tendulkar.
“His ability to increase his strike-rate past that, even it’s past 60, 70, 80… You don’t see Rohit Sharma getting stuck in the ’90s very often and labouring through the ’90s either. He is just a phenomenal player,” said Simon Doull in ICC’s Cricket Inside Out.
Also Read | When husbands don’t perform, wives are blamed: Sania Mirza
As for Tendulkar, he was dismissed in the 90s seven times in the year 2007, thrice on 99, after which the former batsman showed signs of slowing down when approaching a hundred. In, fact, during his 100th international century – against Bangladesh during the 2012 Asia Cup – Tendulkar had motored to 80 off 102 deliveries but took another 36 before completing his hundredth run. It was his second-slowest innings of 100-plus in ODIs, which restricted India’s progress and cost them the match.
Rohit, on the other hand emerged as the leading ODI run-getter last year scoring 1490 runs from 28 matches at a strike rate 89 while averaging 57.30. All seven of his centuries last year came against seven different opponents, and besides his three ODI doubles, the opener also holds the record for the most scored between 150 and 200 – five. Surely, Doull has got his facts right.
Also Read | Den of match-fixing is in India, says former Pakistan pacer - Report
“Well, I personally have copped flak in India because I’ve said he’s the No.1, he’s the first opener picked in an all-time Indian side, hands down. I’m sorry, but you look at the stats, look at the numbers. He averages 49.A strike rate of 88. Sachin averages 44 with a strike-rate of 86, I think, across the careers,” he pointed out.
“So, numbers-wise, Rohit’s numbers are phenomenal, they are better than Sachin’s, that’s why to me he’s the first name on the list, and that’s only because you start at No.1, there’s Kohli on the list, Dhoni’s on the list as you get further down the order.”