Mumbai: India skipper Rohit Sharma is in a scintillating form in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, leading the team from the front, with an unbeaten run so far in the tournament.
India has won all their six games in the league stage matches they have played so far in the World Cup.
India bulldozed Australia at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, trounced Afghanistan at Kotla in New Delhi, beat arch rivals Pakistan at Ahmedabad, overcame the Bangladesh challenge in Pune, scripted a nail biting win against New Zealand in Dharamsala and threw defending champions England out of the World Cup with a 100-run hammering at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
And Rohit Sharma, who hails from the cricket-crazy megacity, has stamped his class in all the games and played a crucial role except for the game against five-time champions Australia, where he was dismissed cheaply.
Rohit, one of the top batters of the modern era, blazed away to a match-winning 131 against Afghanistan and then did not look back. He has also earned two Man of the Match Awards in the coveted tournament so far.
Known for his six hitting prowess, Rohit played a crucial knock in five of the six games played so far, to help his side remain unbeaten in the marquee tournament.
His dogged 87 on a challenging track at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow in the last game that helped the team post a respectable 229/9 on the board against England and then the bowlers put up a disciplined show to bundle out the Pomps for 129 and script a memorable win. The game showed that Rohit, who has various weapons in his arsenal and has matured batter, can play as the situation demands.
The knock in Lucknow also showed that Rohit is now truly a leader and has a bigger team goal etched in his mind.
Rohit, who has a few ODI records to his name, including the highest individual score in the 50-over format, has fired on all cylinders in this tournament, scoring 398 runs with an average of 66.33.
The skipper has a special connection with the iconic Wankhede Stadium as it is his home ground and he has numerous memories attached to it.
Apart from domestic cricket, Rohit has also led the Mumbai Indians for a record five Indian Premier League titles and the IPL franchise has Wankhede Stadium as its home ground.
Come Thursday against an ordinary Sri Lankan attack, which does not have the ability to pose serious questions, and on a belter, fans can expect a Rohit Sharma aka Hitman show.
An inspired Rohit would also be keen to get to his second century of the tournament and add another to his kitty at the place where he has grown up as a cricketer.
"What I'm today as a cricketer is because of the learning that I had, and it all happened at Wankhede," Rohit had earlier said.
Rohit Sharma will seek additional inspiration from the newly unveiled life-style statue of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar besides the Sachin Tendulkar stand inside the Wankhede Stadium.
Indian team, which is on course to semi final, would look to keep its winning streak by defeating Sri Lanka and officially book their berth for the next stage of the tournament.
Thursday will mark Rohit Sharma's 101st international match as India captain and he would want to indeed make it special. So will Wankhede Stadium, which will be filled to capacity, witness an Hitman show or not, we will be able to find out only by the night!
Read More
- World Cup 2023: I enjoy batting but do not swing my bat mindlessly, says Rohit Sharma ahead of Sri Lanka clash
- World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma a divine gift to Indian cricket team, says former India cricketer Surendra Nayak
- World Cup: Rohit Sharma leads from the front for India; bags second 'Man of the Match award' in this tournament
- World Cup 2023: England restrict India to below par 229/9 despite Rohit Sharma's gritty 87
- World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma crosses milestone of 18,000 international runs
