‘Class, Hitman, Most talented’ – Team India players describe Rohit Sharma in one word ahead of WTC final

Ahead of the eagerly-anticipated World Test Championship 2021-23 (WTC) final, a few members of team India described skipper Rohit Sharma in one word. Notably, the two fierce rivals- Australia and India, are all set to cross swords at the Oval in London in a One-off Test for the coveted mace, starting on Wednesday, June 7.

In a clip shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC), certain members of the Indian red-ball setup were asked to share their thoughts on Rohit Sharma in just one word. While ‘Hitman’ seemed to be the common perception of the skipper, a few others shared different views regarding his calm demeanour.

“Relaxed,” as described by Srikar Bharat.

“Puller,” said Mohammed Siraj.

“Hitman,” Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill.

“Most talented player, I think even as a captain he has been doing really well. He’s very calm under pressure,” elaborated Cheteshwar Pujara.

“Class,” said veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

“In Bambaiya language, I would call him ‘Bantai’, he’s always happy-go-lucky and you would expect some kid of joke or he will just come and suddenly tap your head. He’s is a funny guy. I have known him since childhood,” described Shardul Thakur.

Understood why Rohit was rated so highly: Virat Kohli

Former India skipper and teammate Virat Kohli, who has spent a significant amount of time with Rohit, lauded the latter’s contribution in white-ball cricket for the Men in Blue. He further spoke highly of Rohit’s red-ball performances in the last 3-4 years, showing his temperament in the longest format. 

“I’ve always said that he’s always got more time than anyone on the ball and that’s the special ability he had from day 1. I saw him play for the first time and understood what the hype was all about and why he was rated so highly,” said Kohli in a video shared by the ICC on their official website. 

"And what he has done in what-ball cricket for India for a long period of time, we all knew! But the way he has performed in the red-ball cricket in last 3-4 years is a testimony to his temperament towards playing Test cricket at the highest level,” he added.