'Rohit Sharma can smash a double-century in T20s,' says Mohammad Kaif
Former Indian middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif believes that Rohit Sharma has the ability to smash a double-century in T20 cricket. Although the former admitted that it was not going to be an easy task, he feels that the Indian opener has the ability to achieve it.
Kaif was interacting with Priyam Garg, India's captain at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, on the Helo App.
On being asked who he felt could be the first person to score a double-century in T20 cricket, Kaif was quick to cast his vote for Rohit Sharma. He reasoned that the Indian vice-captain's ability to accelerate the scoring rate once he reaches the three-figure mark would present him an opportunity to achieve the unthinkable.
"Rohit Sharma has the ability to score a double-century. I believe that because his strike-rate constantly goes up during his innings. He might take some time to settle down at the start of the innings but once he crosses the 100-run mark, he can even bat at a strike rate of 250-300. He can do it, but it’s a very difficult task."
Kaif also pointed out the drastic change the game had undergone from his playing days when a team would even struggle to score 200-250 runs in ODI cricket.
"During our playing days, it was tough for a team to score 200-250 runs in 50 overs, but now many are talking about scores in the range of 400-500 runs as a distinct possibility."
Chris Gayle currently holds the record for the highest score in a T20 match, with his unbeaten 175-run knock for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in IPL 2013.
Aaron Finch has the highest score in T20Is with his 172-run knock against Zimbabwe in 2018, while Rohit Sharma's highest score is the 118 runs he scored against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Rohit Sharma - The king of limited-overs cricket
Rohit Sharma is one of the most feared batsmen in limited-overs cricket. Although he has struggled a bit in the longest version of the game, he is considered as one of the all-time greats in the shorter formats.
The Mumbaikar has scored 9115 runs in ODI cricket at an impressive average of 49.27, which includes a record three double-centuries. His highest score of 264 runs is the most anyone has scored in an ODI inning.
Rohit Sharma has amassed 2773 runs in T20I cricket, the second-most after Virat Kohli. But it is his record of four centuries in the format that gives fans the hope of seeing the 'Hitman' score a double-century.
The Indian vice-captain had set the 2019 ODI World Cup alight with his record five centuries in one edition of the tournament. He also led the Mumbai Indians to a record fourth IPL title last year.
Recently, Rohit Sharma was also nominated by the BCCI for this year's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for his exploits in international cricket.