Mohali: Stand-in Indian skipper Rohit Sharma dedicated his third double century here to his wife Ritika Sajdeh on the occasion of their second marriage anniversary, Wednesday.
“I’m happy my wife is here with me on this special day. I know she would have liked this gift from me. She has been my strength. She has always been there for me. You go through so much stress in this sport, and having her around is always special,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
“This is our second anniversary, but more than that, we won the game. We were determined to do the right things in the middle, and right till the end we did that. As a group, we are looking forward to Vizag,” Rohit added.
Talent they say is over-rated but in Rohit’s case, the word had been thoroughly used and abused till Mahendra Singh Dhoni made him an opener, who could be beautifully destructive.
Rohit’s three double hundreds, a feat that was unthinkable at one point in time, are testimony not only to his talent but his ability to get rid of the cobwebs in his mind.
What looks easy to the eye may be very difficult to execute as it takes years of practice. Those full-tosses from Suranga Lakmal, instead of landing in the cow corner stand, could well have landed in the cupped hands of fielders stationed at the boundary line.
They didn’t because the day Rohit Sharma hits – it stays hit. Cliched but holds true for the 30-year-old. The bat looks like an extension of his hand. The sixes are not execution of raw power but more like strokes of a brush on the canvas.
Perception is a difficult beast to deal with and there will be sceptics who will point out at his 23-Test career over 10 years in international cricket. But then the value of a player can only be gauged by what the dressing room thinks about him. And they do so highly.
Rohit Sharma’s batting is simply ‘Joie de vivre’ (exuberant enjoyment of life).