5 special Rohit Sharma shots that floored his fans
India captain Rohit Sharma is one of the best batters in the world at the moment. He has been brilliant across all formats and remains one of the players to watch out for whenever he arrives at the crease.
Sharma's supporters have a special fondness for his pull and hook strokes, not to mention the elegant and seemingly lazy way in which he executes his drives and flicks in the gap between midwicket and mid-on.
It goes without saying that when in full flow, there are hardly any better batters to watch than Sharma. The fact that he has garnered 48 international centuries along with being artistically gifted speaks volumes about the skill he possesses.
In this listicle, we take a look at five special shots from Rohit Sharma that floored his fans.
#1 West Indies vs India, North Sound, 2011
One of the best shots of Sharma's that won him plaudits early on in his career was a short-arm jab against the West Indies' all-rounder Daren Sammy that went for a six over long-on in the 2011 series. Sammy bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside off, and Sharma swivelled to pull it up and over long on for a huge hit.
India were set a stiff target of 226 to chase in the third ODI of the series between the two teams being played in North Sound in 2011. After being reduced to 92/6, Sharma (86*) and Harbhajan Singh (41) steered India home through choppy waters and ensured that the visitors took the series 3-2.
Watch the video here:
#2 Australia vs India, Adelaide, 2016
Another fine shot that Sharma played, which ended up being on the fans' watchlist was a pull shot from way outside the off stump to former Aussie quick Shaun Tait in a T20I at the Adelaide Oval in 2015-16. Although he got out for a 20-ball 31 in that game, Sharma was in fine nick.
Tait was among the quickest bowlers in the world during his heyday and the way Sharma pulled him away for this particular six was worth watching. The latter oozes class whenever he plays the pull and hook strokes, and displays a lot of tenacity when dealing with express fast bowlers.
Watch the clip here (from 0:16 seconds):
#3 England vs India, Bristol, 2018
Rohit Sharma is known for hitting big sixes, and one of the best he hit in the shortest format of the game was against England in the third T20I international played at the County Ground in Bristol in 2018. Chris Jordan erred by pitching the ball just a tad up and Sharma stood still while smoking it back past the former.
England put up a decent score of 198/9 on the board in their quota of 20 overs but India were able to chase the target down inside 18.4 overs as Sharma hit an even 100 off just 56 balls and Virat Kohli chipped in with 43 runs. This was a must-win game for both sides, and India edged the hosts to pocket the series 2-1.
Watch the video here (from 3:30):
#4 India vs Pakistan, Manchester, 2019 World Cup
Sharma was at his best against Pakistan in the marquee encounter between the two arch-rivals at Old Trafford in Manchester. He hit a fine 140 to help India amass 336/5 in their quota of 50 overs in the first innings against their bitter foes. Pakistan, however, could not cope and were restricted to 212/6.
One of the best shots that Sharma hit in his innings was a pull shot off Hasan Ali in the sixth over. Pitched short of a length outside off and angling in just a tad, Sharma waited for the ball to come before planting his front foot down and pulling it away up and over the deep square leg fence for a maximum.
Watch the shot here (from 0:16):
#5 India vs Sri Lanka, Leeds, 2019 World Cup
Rohit Sharma went through the best run of his career in 2019, and the stellar century he scored against Sri Lanka in India's final group stage encounter of the ICC Men's ODI World Cup held that year is applauded by his fans even now. Chasing a stiff 265 against a talented Lankan attack, Sharma hit a 94-ball 103 to steer his side home.
One of the best shots that stand out from this innings of his is an ice-cold flick that he manoeuvred off the expert Lasith Malinga in just the third over of India's reply. Pitched fullish on middle and leg and coming back in with the angle that the slingy bowler deployed, Sharma leaned in just a tad to flick it from the crease wide of midwicket to loud applause from the crowd. It was an extremely elegant stroke.
Watch the clip here (from 3:02):