Big Comment/ 'Greatest ODI innings': Ravindra Jadeja's former critic is all praise of India skipper Rohit Sharma

The ODI World Cup 2023, the grandest tournament in cricket this year, is delivering a thrilling spectacle, with India hosting the event and showcasing outstanding form. Team India has been on an impressive winning streak, making them the sole unbeaten team in the competition thus far. With six matches played and six victories secured, their record is nothing short of remarkable. In their recent clash against England, Rohit Sharma's remarkable performance took center stage, prompting discussion among former Indian players.

3 things you need to know

• India defeated England by 100 runs in their last ODI World Cup clash
• Rohit Sharma played a brilliant knock to help India win 
• He was named the player of the match for his 87-run knock

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Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Rohit Sharma

On October 29, India met England at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, with both teams occupying contrasting positions. India, at the top of the table with an unblemished record, faced England, who were languishing at the bottom, having suffered consecutive losses. English captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first. England's bowlers initially had the upper hand, but their batsmen struggled against the Indian pacers, resulting in a 100-run defeat.

During India's innings, they faced early batting difficulties, with wickets falling at regular intervals. However, captain Rohit Sharma led from the front, delivering an exceptional performance. He compiled a remarkable 87 runs off 101 balls, featuring 10 boundaries and 3 sixes. 

Rohit Sharma's form in the tournament has been outstanding, making him the current leading run-scorer for the country and fourth-highest overall. Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, lauded Rohit's extraordinary performance, describing it as one of the greatest ODI innings. He highlighted the challenging conditions, including the pitch, the quality of England's bowling, and Jos Buttler's tactical prowess, which added to the pressure on India. 

Manjrekar particularly admired a shot Rohit played against Adil Rashid, threading a small gap to find the boundary, and another exquisite drive over mid-off against Moeen Ali's turn. This display of artistry, according to Manjrekar, sets Rohit Sharma apart. He further emphasized that several Indian players are currently performing at their peak, showcasing a significant gap between India's cricket and that of other teams.

“When we talk about Rohit Sharma’s ODI batting and his greatness, we talk about the three double hundreds, and he scored a quick hundred recently as well. But according to me, this knock is one of the greatest ODI innings. There are two or three reasons for that pitch was slightly in the afternoon, the bowling challenge was quite good, the tactics Jos Buttler used were so high quality, and India were under pressure," Manjrekar said.

“You might remember a shot he played, I think off Adil Rashid’s bowling, it was an extremely small gap, and he hit a drive with power to find the boundary. Then he hit Moeen Ali over mid-off against the turn. This artistry sets Rohit Sharma apart. It’s not only Rohit, six or seven Indian players are at their peak. We talk about the generation gap but nowadays there is a huge gap between India’s cricket and the other team’s,” he added. 

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Rohit Sharma completes another milestone

Notably, Rohit Sharma reached a significant milestone in this match by crossing 18,000 international runs in his career, joining an elite group of Indian cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Virat Kohli. It's worth mentioning that Rohit Sharma's 100th ODI as captain coincided with this match against England.