Published 17:32 IST, May 4th 2020
Brett Lee heaps praise on Rohit Sharma; recalls his first memory with the Indian opener
Former Australian fast speedster Brett Lee reminisced about the first thing that struck him while bowling to India's star opener Rohit Sharma for the first time
Former Australian fast speedster Brett Lee reminisced about the first thing that struck him while bowling to India's star opener Rohit Sharma for the first time. Rohit Sharma is regarded among the cricketing greats in the current generation. With three double centuries, Sharma is the only batsman in the world to have registered more than one 200-plus score in ODIs. His incredible innings of 264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in 2014, is also the highest individual score in ODI history.
Speaking on a cricket show, Brett Lee said that his first memory of Rohit Sharma was the sound of his bat. Brett Lee added that Sharma is one of those rare breeds of batsmen who can take apart any bowling attack from the very outset and this is precisely the reason why he absolutely hated bowling to him.
“He was flamboyant and aggressive, but my first memory of Rohit Sharma was the sound of his bat. That’s the first thing I could think of; the knock of the bat from people hitting the ball right off the centre — it’s a different sound,” Brett Lee said.
“He is the kind of guy who is so mentally switched on, that once he gets through the tough period, he cashes in. When you got guys like Sharma at the top of the order, who can dominate from early on, they are the guys I don’t want to bowl to. He is definitely in that class,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir credits MS Dhoni for Rohit's success
Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir believes MS Dhoni should be credited for Indian opener Rohit Sharma's success, stating that a captain’s backing is important and Sharma got it from MS Dhoni over a period of time. Speaking to a news daily, Gambhir mentioned that the captain gets to take the final call and added that the way MS Dhoni backed Rohit Sharma over a period of time, I do not think any player has been given such support.
Rohit Sharma has scored 9115 runs in the ODIs at an average close to 50. In the shortest format, he averages 32.62, but still faces problems to cement his spot as a Test opener, as the national team has a problem of plenty there.
Updated 17:32 IST, May 4th 2020