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Rohit Sharma’s bat shuts his critics up!

Rohit Sharma would hope his rich form makes his critics ease up a bit and appreciate him.

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Will Rohit's splendid run finally silence his critics?
Will Rohit Sharma’s splendid run finally silence his critics? © AFP

Rohit Sharma has been one of the most oft-cricticised players in recent times. Much has been written and spoken about him, mostly with negative undertones. Every now and then he gets trolled on social media. People doubt and question his place in the Indian cricket team with almost unfailing regularity. And yet, he steps up to the occasion time and again and does what he does best, almost nonchalantly. It is perhaps this nonchalance with which he goes about his job that brings about accusations of laxity. He is often scrutinised, but the fact is that he no longer deserves that. Scorecard: India vs South Africa 2015, 1st ODI at Kanpur

On Sunday, when India were set a victory target of 304 against South Africa in the first One-Day International (ODI) at Kanpur, not many thought the team would get it. The reasons were quite obvious; no team in history had ever scored — much less chased — 300 in that stadium. The visitors did reach there, but it took a superhuman effort from the superman himself, AB de Villiers, to help them reach that total. Batting on that Kanpur track was certainly not easy. A similar effort, if not better, was required from at least one Indian batsman. And that one batsman did rise to the occasion. It was not Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, or MS Dhoni; the special knock came from Rohit Sharma, the same man who had slammed a Twenty20 International (T20I) ton a few days back, becoming only the second Indian to do so. Rohit scored a sublime 133-ball 150, albeit in a losing cause.

He may have dismissed the ‘talented’ tag, saying he has worked his way up. But the fact remains he oozes talent. Not many can score consecutive hundreds in one’s first two Tests, irrespective of the conditions. Scoring an ODI double ton is no kid’s play; only five have achieved this feat in the history of the game. Rohit, who has the highest individual score in this format, is the only one to do it twice. READ: Ravichandran Ashwin — From just another ‘mystery spinner’ to India’s premier bowler

His current ODI average is over 40; the usual benchmark that separates the ordinary batsmen from the sublime. His current Test average is somewhere in the high 30s, but it will go up with time. His critics need to be kind to him. India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar too had demanded some leniency from his critics in a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo. “If you look at the numbers, he has played 13 (actually 14) Test matches and scored 800-900 (870 runs) runs at an average of 40 (actually 37.82) with two centuries, four half-centuries. I think if his critics can go back and compare the first 13 Test matches of any other cricketer who has played for a while, I think they would probably be less harsh on Rohit,” Bangar had said.

It is true that he has failed on some crucial occasions in the past, but who has not? No player wants to be called the reason for their team’s failure, and fewer still would want to get out early. Each player who wears the team colours and takes field for his country wants to give his best every single time. Rohit is no different. But he has by now perhaps accepted the fact that no matter how good he plays, he will still be criticised. He has accepted it as a by-product of his profession, which is unarguably the most high-pressure job in this country (failure here does not result in losing your job, but it can result in your house being stoned and your effigies burnt). Rather than worrying about that uncontrollable factor, he has allowed his willow to do the talking. Rohit’s bat has finally shut his critics up. Hopefully, it will be a while before they crawl out of the woodwork again. READ: India vs South Africa ODI series: Statistical preview

(A self-confessed cricket freak, Chinmay Jawalekar is a senior writer with Criclife and CricketCountry. When not writing or following cricket, he loves to read, eat and sleep. He can be followed here @CricfreakTweets)

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