Published 16:26 IST, July 18th 2020
Naseem Shah says picking up the prized scalp of Rohit will be a 'dream come true' for him
Young Pakistani pacer Naseem Shah has said that it will be a dream come true for him if he manages to pick up the prized scalp of 'Hitman' Rohit Sharma
Naseem Shah has said that it will be a dream come true for him if he succeeds in taking Rohit Sharma's wicket. Rohit has a record three double-centuries in the 50-overs format and four tons in T20I cricket. Sharma's score of 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014 at the iconic Eden Gardens remains the highest individual ODI score to date.
'Would be a dream come true for me': Naseem Shah
While speaking to Cricingif, the young pacer went on to say that the Indian limited-overs vice-captain has the ability to play all types of deliveries, be it short ones or good length deliveries and his records speak for itself and therefore, picking his wicket would be a dream come true for the youngster.
Naseem Shah's cricketing career so far
Naseem Shah had become a big sensation when he had first burst on to the scene at the highest level during Pakistan's tour of Australia at the end of 2019. While bowling in Australia, the commentator and analysts had heaped praise on the 16-year old for his excellent pace and accuracy.
Things did not end there as he picked a five-wicket haul at Karachi in the home Test series against Sri Lanka that followed. In early 2020, the teen sensation took a hat-trick against Bangladesh, and by the virtue of this outstanding performance, he became the youngest bowler to take a hat-trick at the international level.
The 'Hitman' in 2019
The year 2019 was indeed the best year for Rohit Sharma on the cricket field as he had first led the Mumbai Indians to their record fourth IPL title. He then had a dream run at World Cup 2019 that succeeded where he had amassed 648 runs in nine matches that included five centuries. He is the only batsman to have scored five tons in a single edition of the World Cup. Later in the year, the 'Hitman' made his comeback to red-ball cricket in the home Test series against South Africa where he had notched up his maiden double century in the longest format (212). He was also adjudged the Man of the Series for having amassed 529 runs in the three-match series.
Rohit Sharma in IPL 2020 & Team India's future assignments
Meanwhile, Rohit was all set to lead the defending champions and four-time winners Mumbai Indians in the 13th edition of the cash-rich event that was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29 but has been indefinitely suspended due to the ongoing global pandemic. At the same time, Team India's next two away limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe respectively have been called off due to coronavirus fear.
As per reports, Virat Kohli & Co.'s next international assignment will be against the current top-ranked Test side Australia in their own backyard. The two fierce rivals will be locking horns in a four-match Test series that gets underway on December 3 in Brisbane.
India had beaten Australia when they had toured Down Under in the 2018-19 season 2-1 in the four-match series to win their maiden Test series on Australian soil. It remains to be seen whether the Virat Kohli-led side will succeed in retaining the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy by getting the better of a full-strength Australian side that features the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, etc.
(Image Courtesy: AP)
Updated 16:26 IST, July 18th 2020