Would rate Rohit Sharma among the greatest one-day openers: Kris Srikkanth

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that Rohit Sharma can be counted as one of the greatest opening batsmen to have graced the game in one-day cricket. Ever since he started opening the batting, Rohit hasn’t looked back, becoming much more confident and piling on runs at will. In 2011, he opened in a few matches, but since the 2013 Champions Trophy, he has batted there regularly.

As an opener, Rohit has 7,148 runs in ODIs at an average of 58.11 with 27 tons. And in T20Is, he averages 33.04, scoring 2,313 runs in 76 matches. Last year, he also churned out a double ton against South Africa, opening the batting for the first time in Test cricket. Srikkanth reckons that the 33-year-old Rohit’s ability to convert centuries into big knocks makes him special.

That’s the greatness about Rohit Sharma, says Srikkanth

“I would rate him as one of the greatest all-time one-day openers in world cricket. What’s the greatest quality in Rohit Sharma is that he goes for these big hundreds and double hundreds, that is something amazing,” Srikkanth was quoted as saying on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.

“In a one-day match, you will go 150, 180, 200, just imagine where you are going to take the team to, that’s the greatness about Rohit,” Srikkanth added.

Most of Rohit’s records have come as an opener. He has the highest individual ODI score of 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Apart from the stupendous knock, the Nagpur-born also has two more double tons, one against Australia and the other against Lanka itself.

Last year, he became the first batsman to smash five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup in England and Wales. He got the tons against South Africa, Bangladesh, England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In fact, he has 34 of his 39 tons at the highest level, playing as an opening batter.

In T20I cricket, Rohit has the joint-fastest century back in 2017. Moreover, he is the only batter in the world with as many as four centuries in T20Is. Well into his 30s, Rohit is at the second-half of his career, but is expected to break several records, bearing in mind the talent he has.