'The beauty of having experience' - Dinesh Karthik dissects Rohit Sharma's 92 vs West Indies

Rohit Sharma scored 92 off 85 balls in the third ODI against West Indies at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in Mullanpur on October 3, 2026. His innings included 10 fours and three sixes. The Indian captain's knock came after Jayden Seales had dismissed both Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in quick succession, leaving India at 4 for 2 by the third over.

Dinesh Karthik analysed Rohit's approach during the match and highlighted how his experience shaped his decision-making under pressure.

"The beauty of having experience is that they have seen this situation a lot before. If you take Rohit Sharma, when he saw the two early wickets fall, if you see he was on 20 for the first 40 balls with a 50 strike rate. That was because he knew he could trust himself and back it up and get those runs quickly. And then you see how quickly he moved to 92 after scoring less than a run-a ball. His strike rate went above 100, but he made that all up in the next 40 balls. In the first 40 balls, he took time, didn't allow wickets to fall and then in the next 40 balls, he went and smashed," Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

How Rohit's experience shaped his innings strategy

Rohit's innings showed a clear pattern of controlled batting followed by acceleration. He was 21 off 41 balls before shifting gears dramatically and scoring 72 runs in the next 40 balls, raising his strike rate above 100. This partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad yielded 137 runs for the third wicket before Rohit was dismissed caught out while attempting a pull shot against Keemo Paul in the 25th over.

Karthik contrasted Rohit's measured approach with how a younger player might have reacted to the early pressure. The former India wicketkeeper-batter emphasised how experience allows senior players to manage their aggression based on match situations and pitch conditions.

"He saw Jayden Seales was bowling a good spell; Alzarri (Joseph) was bowling nice and sharp. He took time, waited for them to bowl in his areas and if not, I am happy to defend. To have that courage and conviction in that moment is what experience is," Karthik mentioned.

"A lot of people would have tried to do a little more than they should because they would fear. A young Rohit Sharma would have made that mistake but today he has a wealth of experience. The same thing could have happen even in South Africa, and that's when the experience of a Rohit or Shubman or Virat can come through, where they are able to lower their gears down and say, 'okay I am not going to play big for the moment, and I know I can make up later," he added.

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Rohit had scored 101 runs off 75 balls in the second ODI at Guwahati, but fell short of consecutive ODI hundreds in the third match, a streak he had not experienced since 2019. His 92 in the third ODI demonstrated his ability to construct an innings under challenging circumstances and adapt his batting approach based on match situations.