Windies legend Brian Lara in awe of Rohit Sharma's batting

India opener Rohit Sharma is a force of nature on the cricket pitch, especially when he’s on song, and more so once he goes past the three-figure mark. Coming back to his hometown in Mumbai, Rohit enthralled a packed Brabourne Stadium with a fabulous 162 against the Windies in the penultimate ODI of the series. With his scintillating knock, he made a new fan, and he’s none other than Windies legend Brian Lara.

The vice-captain of the Indian team brought up his 21st ODI century, and for the seventh time, went past the 150-run mark as well. However, this wasn’t an innings of sheer brutality from Rohit. He paced his knock beautifully and made use of the pace of the ball to the perfection. While there were a few big shots that sailed into the crowd, the hallmark of his Mumbai innings was his timing.

Meanwhile, as Lara watched the opener in full flow, he couldn’t help but say that Rohit is a class act and that he also knows how to make good use of the given conditions.

Rohit never loses his concentration

Speaking to Cricket Next, Brian Lara said, “I love his batting. And batting in Indian conditions is favourable, on most occasions. When you are an opening batsman, you can accomplish a hundred. And when you have achieved that somewhere in between 41-50 overs, you can get a big score for the team.”

He also pointed out Rohit’s ability to maintain his concentration levels even after going past his hundred, and in fact, take his innings to a different level altogether. Lara feels that this trait of Rohit allows the Mumbaikar to score massive hundreds in the 50-over format.

“This is not only his seventh 150+ but he has also scored three double centuries previously. That is a sign that he loves to bat for a long time. In the past, I have seen many players going for the big shots after completing their century. But, that is not the case with Rohit Sharma. He never loses his concentration,” he added.

India posted a mammoth 377 in the first innings in Mumbai, but the Windies were bundled out for a mere 153 during the chase. The hosts hence lead the five-match series 2-1 with the final ODI set to be played at Thiruvananthapuram.

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