World Cup 2023 | Selfless skipper Rohit Sharma sets it up nicely with a dashing approach

Rohit Sharma has revolutionized the way openers play, setting a frenetic pace with his batting and leading India to the World Cup final with his captaincy. He has blended power, aesthetics and timing, never slowing down on sighting a milestone, and has become a role model for his team-mates with his sacrificial approach.

Down the shutters, save the citadel, used to be the old-fashioned mantra of opening batters. Over the years, this dogma has been turned on its head with men like Sachin Tendulkar and Adam Gilchrist in the past and David Warner and Rohit Sharma in the present, not averse to clattering fours and sixes, especially in ODIs.

As India enters the final of the World Cup, the contribution of skipper Rohit in a splendid campaign so far cannot be under-estimated.

The captain has set a breathless pace in the first PowerPlay, allowing his partner Shubman Gill some leeway to settle down and also lay a base for the middle-order stars to flourish.

Known for his double hundreds in ODIs, Rohit has adopted a new approach that hinges on cameos with runs clipped at a rapid pace.

Having started with a blob against Australia at Chennai, the batter has subsequently been in his element right through and his scores of 131, 86, 48, 46, 87, 4, 40, 61 and 47, with an overall strike rate of 124.15, have helped India do well in both setting and chasing targets.

It is not as if Rohit only knows the fifth gear; against England, when a few wickets fell around him, he immediately turned watchful and ensured that India had an adequate total to defend. But primarily, this World Cup has been about his single-minded focus on setting a fast tempo in the first 10 overs.

He has rained shots all over the park, pulling, lofting and flicking sixes at will. Pleasing on the eye, Rohit has blended power, aesthetics and timing.