5 reasons why Rohit Sharma can claim No.1 spot in ODI rankings

Rohit Sharma’s career is not too dissimilar to a roller coaster ride. He who made his debut way back in 2007 as a middle-order batsman and remained an ordinary batsman in the initial years. He wasn’t an automatic selection in the eleven as Raina took his place mostly. The first 6 years of Rohit turned out to be a mediocre as he didn’t have anything special to remember him by once he retires.

Rohit was promoted to open in 2013 by MS Dhoni which turned out to be a fruitful decision for both India and Rohit Sharma. Since then he has hardly looked back. With 3 double centuries to his name and consistent performances, he has cemented his place in the team for next year World Cup.

Rohit was made the deputy to Virat Kohli when Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy. In the absence of regular skipper Kohli, Rohit led the Indian team in recently concluded Asia Cup to the title. The opener shined with the bat as he accumulated 317 runs in 5 outings along with Shikhar Dhawan who topped the charts with 342 runs in 5 outings.

In the latest ODI rankings, Rohit moved to a career-best second position in the chart led by Virat Kohli. Shikhar Dhawan jumped up by 4 places to secure 5th position. Having reached the second spot, it is not tough for Rohit to top the chart. Here are 5 reasons why Rohit can claim No.1 spot in ICC ODI rankings.

#1 Current form:

Rohit with his beautiful strokes has been in top-notch form in the recent past. The right-hander who has played 14 ODIs in 2018 and has scored 641 runs with an amazing average of 58.27. He has scored even better in 2017 where he has piled up 1293 runs in 21 outings.

With the form he is in, it is clear that he has learnt the art of playing big innings and we can hope a lot of such innings in the future. India is set to play ODI series against West Indies (Home), Australia and New Zealand (Away) before World Cup which gives an ample opportunity for Rohit to claim the top spot.

#2 Rohit the ODI specialist:

Any player who makes a debut in international cricket will want to prove his mettle in Test cricket. Rohit is no exception. He made his Test debut against Windies in 2013 but hasn’t been able to cement his place in Test cricket. He failed in overseas series against South Africa earlier this year and was dropped consequently from England series and hasn’t made it to the squad for the Windies series which starts on October 5th.

While this can be seen as a setback, it has helped Rohit to concentrate on ODIs. He plays only ODIs and T20Is nowadays and gets enough time to prepare, thus he has been fresh and fit in the shorter formats. This has helped him in maintaining consistency and his form is evidence of the same.

#3 Rohit vs Kohli in the last 3 years

The major reason behind the current dominance of Indian cricket is the competition between the players to outdo the other. Rohit vs Kohli is one such fiery clash. Kohli who has been in insane form in all 3 formats has a clear dominance in this battle. However, one cannot rule Rohit out in this comparison.

Rohit has scored 2,498 runs in 45 matches in last 3 years while Virat Kohli has 2,948 runs in 45 matches in the same span of time. Although Kohli has an edge over Rohit in this comparison, both Rohit and Kohli have scored the same number of centuries in this period.

With the battle set to continue in the future series, expectations of Rohit sharing top spot with Kohli isn’t a distant dream.

#4 Kohli might miss few ODIs:

Virat Kohli, who is in supreme form in all 3 formats has been playing matches continuously without a break. To reduce his burden, he was rested for the Asia Cup 2018. Rohit who plays only ODIs and T2OIs lead the team in the absence of Kohli.

Kohli might get rested in the future too when India plays less important series during which Rohit will be leading the team. So, this gives enough opportunity for Rohit to play and given that his current form is sky high, it also provides him with an extra chance for Rohit to reach the top spot.

#5 Advantage of opening the innings:

Rohit was promoted to open the innings in 2013 by MS Dhoni. Rohit used that opportunity well and has turned out to become a permanent opener for the team. Rohit has 17 centuries while opening and his 3 double centuries in limited over format stands as a testimony for the same. An opener has a lot of advantage over other batsmen.

An opener has ample time to read the pitch, settle down and accelerate his innings. He gets enough time to stay at the crease and craft his innings. Rohit has learnt this art and has become one of the very few players to play big innings. This advantage can come handy for Rohit for him to reach the top spot as he has the ability to play big innings which can help him gain additional points.