Why Is Rohit Sharma An All-Time Great? Wasim Akram Recalls Moment From 2008 When Legends Realised They're Watching 'Special Player'
Rohit Sharma gave India a flying start in Dubai on a pitch where other batters were cautious as the captain struck 36-ball 41 to set the base for a comfortable win.
During the 2008 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, Rohit Sharma had played a strokeful innings of 64-ball 70* while batting at no.4 for India against Sri Lanka in Canberra. it was just the eighth ODI of the then 20-year-old Rohit whose international career was still in its infancy. However, watching a youngster hit bowlers with ease, left the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Wasim Akram mighty impressed and they passed a unanimous verdict: ‘This player is destined for greatness’.
Cut to 2025, Rohit has 11,029 runs from 269 ODIs while averaging 49.01. He has 32 centuries and 57 fifties to his name, is a two-time world cup winner – one of them as captain and is widely acclaimed as one of the finest batters to have represented India.
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On Thursday, on a Dubai pitch where other batters treaded cautiously, Rohit batted without fear as he gave India a rollicking start in the eventual successful chase of 229 against Bangladesh to start their Champions Trophy campaign with a six-wicket win.
Rohit scored 41 off 35 with the help of seven fours to set the base for a comfortable chase.
Legendary fast bowler Akram recalled Rohit’s innings from the 2008 tri-series in Australia, also featuring Sri Lanka, calling the Indian batter ‘a special’ player.
“Players like him (Rohit) are rare. I remember when he had just entered the Indian team – I can’t recall the exact year. He had scored 70 in Hobart – maybe as an opener or at no.3 (No. 4). We were in the commentary box – me, Shaz (Ravi Shastri), Sunny bhai (Sunil Gavaskar), Harsha (Bhogale), Alan (Wilkins), Geoffrey Boycott and our unanimous call (after watching him play) was that Rohit is destined for greatness," Akram said on Sports Central.
“It was the lazy elegance. There are batters who play a shot and you can see the effort behind but Rohit used to just time the ball without applying much effort. He’s just special," Akram added.
Former India allrounder Nikhil Chopra, who was also part of the show, pointed out how the credit to pick and back Rohit goes to Dilip Vengsarkar.
“The credit to pick him (Rohit) goes to Dilip Vengsarkar. When Rohit was 19 and still playing first-class cricket it was Dilip bhai who used to hype him up telling everyone that there’s an upcoming player, keep an eye out for him. Then when he started playing international cricket and underwent a lean patch, thanks to Dilip bhai, he was given a long rope. He had spotted Rohit how much time he has got to play his shot," Chopra recalled.
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