Rohit Sharma scores 264 against Sri Lanka in ODI match. I
repeat it is a 50 over One Day International. To be far to Rohit, he just
capitalized on the toothless Sri Lankan attack without any quality
international bowler in the league of Malingas or Vaas. 3 drop catches and the
opportunity to play 50 overs is not something most batsman can dream, given
each spot in the cricketing teams have become highly competitive.
It is only fitting that Rohit plays this blinder as a
tribute to all the talk about his talent and prowess. No one in the Indian cricket has got
opportunities for 7 years on the trot to prove one’s mettle. Just that Rohit
was born in the right age and the right time where the fab four of Indian cricket
vacated their batting spots (Amol Mazumdar and S.Badrinath will be kicking
themselves)
O Boy! What a knock. Is Rohit Sharma the greatest batsman of
Indian cricket? No. Will this record stay forever? No. I remember when SaeedAnwar scored 194 at Chepauk, it remained a magical number etched in people’s
minds. Only when something is unachievable for years and someone yearns for
something (Ask Sachin on worldcup win), these joys and moments in the game
extra special, both for players and viewers.
Superior willows, smaller grounds, ODI fielding restrictions
and belter wickets have made the game heavily skewed in favour of the
batsmen. The aggressive T20 mindset from
the batsmen has truly made ODI cricket high scoring lopsided games. This
generation of Kohlis, ABDs, Amlas,etc. scoring runs at ease and at will. It has
made the records look insignificant, not symbolizing anything as their previous
generation records did. That Anwar 194, Sachin100s, Afridi 37 ball hundred and
Jayasuriya’s 17 ball fifty are all meaningless to the next generation.
People save monthly salary to buy iPhone5s, only to realize
that Apple has already launched iPhone6 and their phone is not in vogue
anymore. Likewise Rohit can be a proud owner, till someone breaks his record.
PS: Even Sir Jadeja has three 300s in first class and is in
the same league as Don Bradman, Walter Hammond, Mike Hussey, etc. Records are
just numbers. It doesn’t signify quality or talent in this era.
