Aakash Chopra hopes to get some hundreds off Rohit Sharma’s bat in the ODI World Cup to be played in India later this year. Rohit Sharma was the highest run-scorer in the 2019 World Cup with 648 runs at an average of 81.00. He is expected to open the batting alongside Shubman Gill or Ishan Kishan in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra took a look at some of the top contenders for the title. Regarding India, he said:
“When we talk about the top three, it seems like who is better than us? Sare jahan se acha Hindustan hamara – you get a feeling like that from within because we have Shubman Gill alongside Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli will come after them.”
As for Rohit Sharma, the former Indian opener added:
“Rohit Sharma has scored more than 9800 runs. He has scored 30 centuries, has an average of nearly 49, and a strike rate of 90. It’s almost similar in Asia. So you can assume that Rohit Sharma is going to hit you. If he plays all nine matches, he should score two centuries and one daddy hundred as an opener. I am expecting that.”
Rohit Sharma has scored 4067 runs in 78 ODI innings in India at an impressive average of 58.10 and an impressive strike rate of 100.09. He has scored 12 centuries and 18 fifties, including all three of his double centuries, on home soil.
Also read: Aakash Chopra On Pakistan’s Top Order Heading Into World Cup 2023
“Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma Complement Each Other Really Well” – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said that Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma are a great opening pair. He elaborated:
“Shubman Gill is exactly the same to be fair. His sample size is very small compared to Rohit. He has an average of 62 in 27 games, which becomes 64 in Asia. Three of his four centuries have come in Asia. Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma complement each other really well.”
The cricketer-turned-commentator said that the presence of Virat Kohli at No.3 makes India’s top-order strong. he explained
“If you get across them, then comes Virat Kohli – the father of ODI cricket at this point in time. He has scored nearly 13000 runs in 275 games with 46 centuries, an average of 57. Out of the 46 hundreds, 31 have come in Asia. The average becomes 58 and more than 7400 runs are in Asia only. So India’s top three are worth saluting.”
Aakash Chopra highlighted that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bring tremendous experience to the table. He said that although Shubman Gill is relatively less experienced and is a successor, the youngster works on his own on the flat pitches usually found in ODI cricket.
