India’s six-hitting machine Rohit brings PlayStation-like feel to batting

Umpire Marais Erasmus was not the only one marvelling at Rohit Sharma's six-hitting prowess during India's comprehensive victory in Saturday's World Cup blockbuster against Pakistan.

Watching him dismantle the Pakistan attack at the Narendra Modi Stadium, teammate Hardik Pandya, a formidable hitter himself, said it felt more “like PlayStation” than cricket with Rohit on the rampage.

Pakistan could not manage a single six but Rohit alone clobbered half a dozen as India, turbocharged by the skipper's 86 off 63 balls, completed a modest chase with nearly 20 overs to spare.

After hitting one of those monster sixes, the opener was seen flexing his muscle in front of a grinning Erasmus, an action he later explained to Pandya in a video released by the team.

“He was asking me the secret behind my big sixes, and if it had anything to do with the bat I use,” Rohit told Pandya.

“I was just telling him it was not my bat, but my power.”

The elegant right-hander overtook West Indian Chris Gayle's record of 553 sixes in international cricket heading into the match against Pakistan. After Saturday's game, Rohit also became only the third batter — after Gayle and Pakistan's Shahid Afridi — to smash 300 sixes in one-day internationals.

“I have been trying to bat like this in the last two years,” Rohit said of his batting approach in the World Cup.

“Wickets are so good these days, I want to play my shots. I know I missed out on a hundred today.”

Rohit has three double hundreds in ODIs, only batter to have more than one, and his 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 remains the highest individual score in this format.

His 11 sixes from three matches in the ongoing World Cup is second only to Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis' 14 from two matches.

Former teammate Dinesh Karthik was in awe of Rohit's effortless shot-making, especially his pull shot, against Pakistan.

“Whenever you talk about Rohit Sharma, there's always a lazy elegance attached to him,” Karthik told Sky Sports.

“If you bowl anything slightly short, forget it, go and pick it up from the stands.”

India top the points table after a hat-trick of wins and they face Bangladesh in their next match on Thursday in Pune.

Sharma, though, heaped praise on his bowling unit after the team's comprehensive win.

At 155-2 in the 30th over, and with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan looking set in the middle, Pakistan appeared to be heading towards a 300-plus total at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The wheels, though, soon came off their innings and Pakistan were eventually bundled out for a paltry 191 in 42.5 overs.

It was a remarkable bowling display by India, with five of the six bowlers they deployed claiming two wickets apiece in a collective effort.

“There is no doubt about it that the bowlers set up the game for us again today. It was a great effort,” Rohit said after his blistering half-century set up India's clinical chase.

“I don't think it was a 190-run pitch.

“At one stage we were looking at 270-280 but they came back and showed grit and that says a lot about the guys.”

For India, Mohammed Siraj dismissed Babar (50) to trigger a collapse, fellow pacer Jasprit Bumrah foxed in-form Rizwan (49) with a slow off-cutter and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav sent down a two-wicket over to wreck Pakistan.

“We pride ourselves on whoever gets the ball doing the job for us,” explained Rohit. “We have got six individuals who can do the job. It can't be everybody's every day.

“My job as a captain is important there to read the conditions and who is the best guy to trouble the batsman. I assess that every now and then.”

There was significant hype around the contest between the arch-rivals but India again prevailed to maintain their unbeaten record against Pakistan in the history of the tournament.

Rohit said they treated it like just another game in a long World Cup and maintaining that unbeaten streak was never on their minds.

“This was an opposition we wanted to play against because we want to play quality opposition.

“Every opposition we come up against in this tournament is quality and can beat you on any particular day.

“What has happened in the past or might happen in the future doesn't matter too much. You have to play well on that particular day.” 

Reuters