Ace Indian batter and former skipper Rohit Sharma, who likely played his last international game on Australia soil on October 25, left a mark with a well composed unbeaten innings of 121 runs. The century — which helped him extend his ODI hundreds to 33 — also propelled him to a career first: Number one batter in ODI’s in men’s cricket.
It’s hard to believe that Rohit — popular amongst his fans as Hitman — summitted the peak for the first time in his nearly two decade-long illustrious career, despite being the only batter in the game to score three double hundreds in the 50-over format. At 38, Rohit also became the oldest cricketer to be crowned number one in ODIs, a feat he achieved 18 years after making his debut against Ireland in 2007.
Rohit, however, mostly maintained a top 10 spot in the rankings in the last decade.
The former India skipper’s efforts saw him overtake Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran and India teammate and current captain Shubman Gill.
Interestingly, Rohit’s current points — 781 — isn’t the most he has had in his career. His best point tally of 882 in 2019 — a year in which he scored seven ODI centuries, including five in the ICC World Cup — still fell short of his teammate and talisman Virat Kohli, who ended the year as the top batter in the format.
Now, at the fag end of his playing career, and questions being raised about his selection in the team, the latest ICC rankings will provide fresh impetus to him and is likely to ward off the naysayers, who have previously raised questions about his age and fitness. Rohit though have silenced his critics throughout his career, first as a player, and then as a captain: delivering two ICC silverware — the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025, in a space of 9 months.
Improved fitness
Ahead of the Australia series, which India lost 2-1, Rohit trained extensively with his former Mumbai teammate and coach Abhishek Nayar. The results showed. A slimmer Rohit took the field and he appeared more agile than before between the wickets.
This was also instrumental during the run chase against the home side in the last ODI. Though India were never pushed — or it appeared that way — the two batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, chased down 237 runs without breaking a sweat.
If you’ve watched Virat play in run chases, you know the drill. Play with a set tempo. Minimise dot balls and run, as much as you can. While this appears easy for Virat, owing to his supreme fitness, the same cannot be said about others, especially ageing players in the squad. But, the duo stitched a mammoth and unbeaten partnership of 168 runs, and Rohit’s improved fitness showed.
Now, fans would hope that he stays in the mix for the 2027 world cup, and pray that Rohit himself doesn’t take to social media to write a ‘goodbye’ post, which he did while retiring from Test cricket earlier this year, sending shockwaves across the cricketing world.
Mentoring youngsters
During the post match talk, Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist spoke to Rohit and Virat. The duo confirmed that It was likely the last time for them in Australia, in Indian colours. Moreover, they spoke about mentoring young talents.
Rohit, who first came to Australia as a 20-something dasher and scored a match winning 66 in the CB series final in 2008, said, “Always love coming here and playing here. Fond memories of 2008. I’m not sure if we’ll be coming back to Australia, but we enjoy our cricket no matter what accolades we achieve.”
He also stressed the importance of experience and mentorship at this stage of their careers.
“You expect tough pitches and quality bowlers in Australia. Playing here is never easy. We couldn’t win the series, but there are plenty of positives. It’s a young side, and there will be a lot of learnings.
“When I came into the squad, seniors helped us a lot; now it’s our job to do the same. We need to guide them, create game plans, and go back to basics, which I still do every time I play here,” he said.
Now, only time will tell if the selectors will stick with Rohit for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, or we see a giant of the game, especially in limited overs, hang his boots.
