'Forget & Go Pick it Up From Stands,' DK Lauds Rohit's Backfoot Mastery After Win vs PAK
Rohit Sharma's pull-shot is a sight for sore eyes (Twitter)
In the wake of India's stunning victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the World Cup 2023 on Saturday, attention turned to Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s exceptional batting technique, particularly his expertise in playing on the backfoot and dealing with short deliveries.
Karthik opens up on what sets Rohit apart in world-class batting
Having played a vital role in the win, Rohit entertained the cricketing community with a commanding 86 off 63 deliveries, which included six mammoth sixes.
Speaking on SkySports, Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, Dinesh Karthik, in company with England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, drew attention to Rohit's seemingly effortless elegance when batting. He eloquently compared the Indian captain's "lazy elegance" to cricketing stalwarts such as David Gower and Mark Waugh.
The Tamil Nadu lad further highlighted Rohit’s uncanny ability to pick up the length of the ball early, along with his minimal foot movement. This combination, Karthik observed, not only makes Sharma's play look effortlessly elegant but also allows him the advantage of extra time, making him especially lethal on the backfoot.
“Whenever you talk about Rohit Sharma, there’s always lazy elegance attached to it. We speak about David Gower, Mark Waugh but I think Rohit Sharma somewhere fills in that category as well. But it's got to do with how well or how early he picks the length and the fact that he doesn't move his feet as much as a lot of others would, makes it look like he has that extra time when he plays those shots,” said Karthik.
Watch: Rohit Sharma's pull shot off Shaheen Afridi
The 38-year-old reckoned that rather than relying on the typical cover drives many cricketers employ, Rohit's hallmark is his mastery over horizontal bat shots. Karthik also stated that any bowler erring on the shorter side against Rohit is likely to watch the ball sail over the boundary.
“That’s why you will always see him play a lot more horizontal bat shots because he is a much more backfoot player compared to the drives that we see. You will see him lofting down the ground but the usual cover drives that we see from a lot of other players is not his strength. If you bowl anything slightly short, forget and go pick it up from the stands,” added the Indian stumper.
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