EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 18 SPORT TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Rohit Sharma — oozing class and chutzpah Opener makes batting a treat to watch and has forged a great understanding with Dhawan and Rahul DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD WI IN INDIA DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Y.B. Sarangi Rohit in numbers CUTTACK B In 2019, he has totalled With his effortless batting, 1490 runs in 27 ODI innings Rohit Sharma offers cricket at an average of 57.30. lovers a sit­back­and­enjoy B Rohit is the highest run­ show. His performance is ea­ getter ahead of captain sy on the eye, yet high on Virat Kohli (1377). effectiveness. B This includes seven In 2019, he performed hundreds and six fifties in plenty of such shows. Espe­ the last 12 months. cially in the 50­over format, B where he gathered 1490 runs Rohit has scored the most number of boundary shots in 27 innings at an average of — 146 fours and 36 sixes — 57.30 and end up as the high­ this year. est run­getter ahead of cap­ tain Virat Kohli (1377). B In just 10 innings this year, “Personally I have enjoyed Rohit and Rahul have batting, but there is no way I scored 923 runs, including five century stands, at a am stopping,” said Rohit whopping average of 92.30. Sharma, the Man­of­the­Se­ DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD ries in India’s 2­1 win over West Indies, during the post­ ciation against the Windies. match presentation at the Their combined average is Barabati Stadium here on unmatched by a mile and the Sunday night. the thrashing of the leather far behind on number of viable rapport with the ta­ two, in their prime, promise This demonstrates how ball a trend in T20 cricket, fours. lented K.L. Rahul. The result to make rapid strides on the Rohit relishes his moment in Rohit, the boy next door, “I understand my batting is for everyone to see. all­time list of successful the middle. It has helped him sends the white ball flying to really well. I want to play In just 10 innings this year, opening partners. score seven hundreds and the boundary without much within my limits. Knowing Rohit and Rahul have deve­ Rohit, who went past Sri six fifties in the last 12 toil. the game plan you want to loped a special bond which Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya’s months. Rohit, who closed the year execute is very important,” has yielded 923 runs, includ­ 22­year­old record of scoring with a 63­ball 63 and contri­ said the 32­year­old, provid­ ing five century stands, at a the most runs by an opener Boy next door buted significantly in India’s ing an insight into his unclut­ whopping average of 92.30. in international cricket dur­ At a time when hunks have big run chase in the third and tered mind and mature They have defied the popular ing his knock here, wants to replaced common men as final ODI here, has scored thinking. theory of left­right combina­ replicate his white­ball crick­ heroes in Indian movies, Ro­ the most number of boun­ The other important facet tion with sheer class. et success in red­ball match­ hit, with his lazy elegance, is dary shots — 146 fours and 36 of Rohit’s batting is making es too. like a superstar from a by­ sixes — this year. his partner feel good in his Rapid strides He has already shown gone era who has found ac­ Only Eoin Morgan has hit company. After his fine run Rohit and Rahul’s 227­run signs of it after being promot­ ceptance and appeal even to­ more sixes — 41 — while Aa­ with opening partner and stand in Visakhapatnam has ed as an opener in Tests and day. While batsmen with ron Finch has the same num­ good friend Shikhar Dha­ already established itself as is eagerly looking forward to On song: While other burly batsmen prefer to bludgeon the bowlers, Rohit Sharma is all touch bulging muscles have made ber. Nevertheless, they are wan, Rohit has forged an en­ the best Indian opening asso­ achieving greater glory. and timing without compromising on the scoring rate. * K.R. DEEPAK Bumrah and Dhawan back in Indian squad ‘Pant has to improve his keeping’ Rohit and Shami rested for the T20Is against Sri Lanka Prasad moots guidance under a specialist coach like More Special Correspondent Sanju Samson will Vijay Lokapally same breath as (Wriddhi­ NEW DELHI <> New Delhi be the back-up man) Saha or M.S. (Dhoni). Jasprit Bumrah and Shikhar opener in the T20I M.S.K. Prasad wants Rishabh Please remember Pant did Dhawan have been picked to series Pant to work with a specialist not play much of domestic the Indian teams, for the wicket­keeping coach and cricket before he got into the M.S.K. Prasad Twenty20 Internationals former Test stumper Kiran Indian team like say Parthiv against Sri Lanka and the are out of the reckoning on More is willing to offer his (Patel) or (Dinesh) Karthik. One­Day Internationals account of injuries. services. Had he played a good three­ against Australia, to be “Deepak, who did well in Chief selector Prasad rates four seasons of hard grind in played in January. the Vijay Hazare Trophy, ag­ Pant as a special talent. “He domestic cricket he would However, in­form opener gravated his back injury in has done well and we have not have faced some of these and vice­captain Rohit Shar­ the second ODI in Visakha­ seen glimpses of some good issues.” ma and Mohammed Shami patnam,” said Prasad. batting recently. He batted Would Pant find a place have been rested for the On the availability of all­ exceptionally well in Tests Under scrutiny: Rishabh Pant, who has had a rash of purely as a batsman? “Possi­ three­match series against rounder Hardik Pandya, the (in England and Australia). wicketkeeping gaffes, needs to up his game. * R. RAGU ble. But then it would de­ Sri Lanka, beginning on Ja­ chief selector said they Pant is a work in progress pend on what kind of combi­ nuary 5. would test him in the third and I would suggest he can “Any time. I will be too hap­ some guidance. Putting pres­ nation the team wants. It Bumrah, who had suf­ week of January for a possi­ benefit if he gets to work py to work with Pant. I did sure is not going to help at would also mean that Pant fered a stress fracture, is re­ ble chance to figure in the with More. There is no pro­ work with him for two days all. I must tell you he is men­ would need to develop as a portedly fit enough to test series against New Zealand blem with Pant’s batting but (last year) but then I would tally very strong.” fielder in some specialist po­ his recovery in Gujarat’s from January 24. he surely needs to work on need to spend more time As Prasad pointed out, sition. It is not easy. Look at forthcoming Ranji Trophy Shardul Thakur, Navdeep his wicketkeeper. As a wick­ with him. A ten­day stint “The desire to work on his K.L. (Rahul) finding it tough match. Saini, who will be the 16th etkeeper he has to be good one­on­one with Pant would wicketkeeping has to come to get a place in the Test According to selection member for the ODI series enough to command his be a good idea to start with. from within. We are studying team. Pant is being guided. I committee chairman M.S.K. against Australia, and Kha­ place,” Prasad told The He has a fantastic cricket his work and are all ready to keep talking to him. He has Prasad, “Sanju Samson will lia, we have all three open­ K.L. Rahul.” leel Ahmed will continue to Hindu. sense and there are a few help him. Ideally he needs to lost weight and is working be the back­up opener in the ers in the team — Shikhar Seamers Bhuvneshwar be in the scheme of things When asked if he would technical things to be sorted improve in certain areas. It is hard on his keeping skills. T20 series. Against Austra­ Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Kumar and Deepak Chahar for the season. help Pant, More responded, out. He is young and needs not fair to talk of Pant in the We will back him.” Dhoni’s 15 years in India colours Harmanpreet, Smriti and Took the team to the pinnacle of glory in all formats Veda to lead teams PRESS TRUST OF INDIA India­B: Smriti Mandhana MUMBAI (Capt.), Sushma Verma (wk), R. Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Kalpana (wk), V.R. Vanitha, Je­ Mandhana and Veda Krish­ mimah Rodrigues, Anuja Patil, namurthy will lead India­A, Poonam Yadav, Pooja Vastra­ kar, Shikha Pandey, Renuka B and C teams in the wo­ Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Sushri Di­ men’s T20 Challenger Tro­ byadarshini, T.P. Kanwar, and phy to be played at Cuttack Richa Ghosh. from January 4 to 11. India­C: Veda Krishnamurthy The squads: India­A: Harman­ (Capt.), Nuzhat Parween (wk), preet Kaur (Capt.), Taniya Bha­ Shafali Verma (wk), Yastika tia (wk), Shivali Shinde (wk), Bhatiya, D. Hemalatha, Har­ Jasia Akhtar, Priya Puniya, leen Deol, Manali Dakshini, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Jincy George, Arundhati Red­ Sneh Rana, Mansi Joshi, Megh­ dy, Monica Patel, Vrushali Bha­ na Singh, Komal Jhanjhad, gat, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Ta­ Meenu Mani, Radha Yadav, and nushree Sarkar, and Madhuri Bharati Fulmali.