'I had watched Dale Steyn's videos 100 times before I went to bat' - Rohit Sharma reveals toughest bowler he faced

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma's ultimate challenge came against South African pace legend Dale Steyn in his illustrious career. Rohit recently revealed that Steyn was the toughest bowler he has ever faced. The 40-year-old pacer is still regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of his generation.

With a career tally of 699 wickets across all formats, the former Proteas player was a nightmare for batters with his ability to generate steep bounce and movement at a blistering pace. Steyn's mastery over swing and seam movement made him a feared opponent in all conditions.

Acknowledging Steyn's greatness, Rohit admitted to watching countless videos of the pacer in preparation before facing him.

"I have gone and watched his videos like 100 times before I went in to bat. That was Dale Steyn. He is an absolute legend of the game. And what he has achieved in his career is just superb to watch. And I have faced him many times. He is quick. He used to swing the ball at that pace, which is not easy. It is quite tough," Rohit said in an interaction with Dubai Eye 103.8.

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He was a fierce competitor: Rohit Sharma

The 37-year-old also praised Steyn's competitive spirit. "He was a fierce competitor. He just went out there wanting to do everything, to win every game and every session, so it was nice to come up against him. Not that I had much success against him, but I enjoyed my battles," he added.

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Notably, Steyn dismissed Rohit only once in the 2013 Durban Test, bowling him out for a golden duck with a searing inswinger that crashed into the stumps. In ODIs, Rohit has a strike rate of 63 against Steyn, while in T20Is, he has faced just four balls from the pacer, managing to hit him for a six.

Currently, Sharma is playing in the ongoing IPL 2024 for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and has scored 349 runs from 13 innings at an average of 29.08 and a strike rate of 145.41. The former MI skipper has had an average season so far. While Sharma is gearing up to lead the Indian team for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA.