The journey of Rohit Sharma: From Maggiman to Hitman

“Clichés are the only things left to describe this man,” read a leading website’s live commentary blog when Rohit Sharma demolished Suranga Lakmal, hitting four sixes off the leader of the Sri Lankan attack. The scenario, however, wasn’t the same about four years ago. ‘Maggiman’, ‘Mr talent’ and ‘Indian Shahid Afridi’ were the only ‘adjectives’ used to describe the Indian opener. What transpired in the last four years that ‘Mr Talent’ became Ro-Hitman Sharma?

On Wednesday, in the second ODI between India and Sri Lanka, held in Mohali, Indian team left the scar of defeat in the first ODI far behind them, after scoring a mighty total of 392/4 in 50 overs. And one man was in the centre of it all, Rohit Sharma.

Sharma scored an astonishing 203 off just 153 balls with a wonderful strike rate of 135.95. It was not the first time though; neither was he scoring his first ODI double ton, nor was it the first time when Sri Lankans were on the receiving end of a magical thrashing. The last time they were demolished in such a manner, the Mumbaikar went on to pile up 264 runs, making a record of the highest individual score at the highest level.

His first double had come in 2013 against the mighty Australians. That time he was the ‘Mr Talent’ of Indian cricket, who played brilliant shots on one ball and a foolish one to perish on the very next one. In fact, social media, although awe struck, felt it was a one time wonder or a fluke, to be more precise. But in 2014, the Mumbai Indians captain demolished the Lankans and that is when people started to realise that he is the hitman, and not the Maggiman.

In last three years, Rohit has transformed into a consistent and a prolific ODI batsman, consistently making big hundreds and batting deep into the innings. Some have even jumped to the conclusion that he is a modern-day great. What changed?

Rohit Sharma, before 2013

Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut back in 2007 and right from the start, Sharma looked promising. When India toured Australia in 2008, the Mumbaikar matched the batting great Sachin Tendulkar shot by shot in the first final of the Commonwealth Bank Series. In one over of Brad Hogg, Sachin Tendulkar displayed perfection by hitting the left-arm china man over the covers fielder for a four and a couple of balls later, Sharma played a shot which felt like watching the highlight of the previous shot played by the ‘god of cricket’. ‘This man has talent,’ the cricket pundits applauded. But then began the phase of the ‘Maggiman’.

Consistency in Rohit’s batting was only found in his failures. Sharma’s average before 2013 was just 30.43 and his strike rate even worse; 78 runs per 100 balls after 81 innings. Rohit was struggling in the middle order, but the then Indian Captain, MS Dhoni, although criticised severely, wasn’t ready to let this man go. In fact, eventually when selectors would drop him, Rohit would go back to domestic cricket and perform terrifically. But he struggled to replicate his domestic performance at the International level.

It was in South Africa in 2010-11 when Dhoni trusted Rohit Sharma to open the innings. But his returns in that three-match series were meagre - 29 runs off 59 balls; an average as low as 9.66 and a strike rate as terrible as 49. The experiment looked like a failed one and was quickly discontinued. Due to his shabby unreliable performance, Sharma missed the 2011 World Cup.

Fast forward to the year 2013; Rohit got another shot at opening the batting, and that opportunity changed his career and the fate of the Indian team.

Rohit Sharma, since 2013

On 23 January 2013, with the support and the confidence of captain Dhoni, Rohit Sharma was asked to open the innings for India in ODIs against England in the fourth ODI. Opening with Gautam Gambhir, Sharma scored 83 runs off 93 balls and since then, Rohit has never looked back.

The Australia tour of India in the same year proved to be the turning point of Rohit Sharma’s career. It was that series where he scored his first double hundred at M Chinnaswamy in Bengaluru. Above all, his consistency in that series was commendable. In the match right before the one in which he scored his maiden double ton, the man had registered 140. In that series, he piled-up a record-breaking 491 runs in that bilateral series which India won 3-2. 491 is still the highest runs scored by any batsmen in any bilateral series.

Since the start of 2013, Rohit’s figures in India are phenomenal with an average of 74.62 at a strike rate of 108. Rohit has performed away from home as well with an impressive 46.05 average, which was just 27.29 in the period before 2012.

Since October 2013, in 46 matches, Sharma has scored 2450 runs at an average of 61.25 and strike rate of 96.60, including eight centuries including which is comparable to the performance of India's premier batsman Virat Kohli, who in same period played 58 matches scored 2637 run at an average of 54.93 and strike rate of 96.38, including 10 centuries.

In away matches since 13 October 2013, Virat Kohli played 24 ODIs and scored 955 runs at an average of 45.47 including 4 centuries. Whereas Rohit Sharma in same period played 20 away ODIs and scored 960 runs at an average of 53.33 including 3 centuries.

There is a set pattern of Rohit Sharma’s batting. He starts slowly and takes his own sweet time to reach to 50, the next 50 would come in a little quicker time and once he is past century, the carnage begins. His career graph looks similar; slow and unproductive in the beginning and now, in his middle phase, steady and notice worthy. Going by this, is Sharma’s career heading towards a ‘carnage’-like finish?