The game of cricket thrives on special talent. Indian cricket is much the same. When a special talent is seen, one expects the numbers and that seems a tangible way of evaluating special talent
Rohit Sharma celebrates his half-century in Kolkata last week. Pic/AFP
The game of cricket thrives on special talent. Indian cricket is much the same. When a special talent is seen, one expects the numbers and that seems a tangible way of evaluating special talent.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rohit Sharma is a special talent that has more often than not disappointed fans in Test cricket. There is often a feeling of him getting privileged treatment, maybe with kid gloves despite his inconsistency at the Test level.
Sitting in a boardroom and not picking a Rohit can be a difficult decision. The glimpses of brilliance, the high quality of batsmanship ,and an innate ability to win cricket matches will always make him a 'discussed' candidate in a selection room.
Glimpses of genius
The level of expectation is high because of his apparent skill and the glimpses of genius that comes from the cardinal observation of experts — 'he seems to have that extra bit of time when he bats'.
Batsman with extra bit of time often seem casual, lazy, or even careless when they get out. David Gower comes to mind. When in flow Gower looked sublime, when dismissed, I might add, quite ridiculous.
Some good players need time and a bit of luck to come into their own. Dilip Vengsarkar got his first Test ton in his 30th Test innings, Ashok Mankad played 42 Test innings but never got to a ton, Chetan Chauhan 68 innings never to get a Test hundred. They batted in the top order of the Indian batting line-up.
Rohit has done better in comparison — two hundreds and five fifties in 33 Test innings. Not a record that will make you stand up and applaud, but certainly showcasing a preview of the perceived quality he might have to offer.
There has been disappointment for fans and pundits too in his failures. It may have a lot to do with the talent he emanates, often flattering to deceive his fans. Captains go more by instinct than theory and records. One senses the Indian captain has given Rohit a rope that might give him a feeling of being wanted and a sense of security.
Significant innings at Eden
The 82 in the second innings at the Eden Gardens could well have been his defining moment in Test cricket. A significant innings can be more satisfying than a long, irrelevant one. One hopes this is Rohit's defining moment in Test cricket because defining moments don't recur at this level. He must look at recoiling from this innings to be an integral cog of the Indian batting line-up.
The 1990s had the Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman nucleus to form the core of the Indian batting order. It took the prolific Sehwag to break through and create a slot for himself in the opening position that helped India win Test matches. Sehwag was never a born opening batsman.
He was accommodated to save the team management of the embarrassment of ignoring consistency of runs at the pace he scored them at in the longer version. Rohit has a similar opportunity. Too much time has been invested for him to thwart the team management's faith in his ability.
Rohit may have finally arrived and hopefully he will not leave the building without winning India Test matches with the way he bats.
Shishir Hattangadi is former Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
