Rohit Sharma: India's most bankable big-match player

The bigger the occasion, the greater is the desire and determination of great players to take their team to victory.

Over the years, Rohit Sharma has transformed from an inconsistent player to a genuine match-winner in the shorter formats of the game. Post the Champions Trophy in England in 2013, Rohit has become the backbone of the Indian limited overs side. Out of his 16 career ODI hundreds, 14 have come after the Champions Trophy, with six coming in 2017 itself.

Rohit completed 10 years in international cricket in June 2017. In the last decade, the Hitman has played some match-winning knocks in the big games (knockouts, series deciders, finals), leading both his nation and his domestic sides to victory.

Let us celebrate the journey of this outstanding stroke player by looking at some knocks he played for India and his IPL side Mumbai Indians on the big occasions:

#10 30* vs Pakistan (ICC T20 World Cup Final 2007 at Johannesburg)

The 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa was the stage where Rohit announced himself to the world. He played a defiant innings of 50 against South Africa at Durban which led India to the semi-finals of the competition.

Rohit, however, didn't stop there, scoring 30 from 16 balls to take India to a respectable total of 157 from 20 overs in the final against Pakistan. India went on to win the final by five runs. Rohit's small but important contribution led India to their first World Cup triumph in 24 years.

#9 66 vs Australia (2008 CB series first final at Sydney)

Rohit Sharma celebrates his 50 in the final

The CB series in 2008 (in Australia) was a tri-nation tournament with Australia and Sri Lanka the other two teams. India had never won a traditional tri-nation ODI series in Australia but managed to make it to the finals alongside the hosts.

The first final was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Australia batted first and set India a target of 240. India at one stage in the chase were 87/3 when 20-year-old Rohit Sharma joined his idol Sachin Tendulkar at the crease. Rohit and Sachin added 123 runs for the 4th wicket and ensured that India took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three final.

Rohit's knock of 66 (87) showed a glimpse of the talent he possessed. India went on to beat Australia in the second final at Brisbane and won the CB series for the first time.

#8 83 vs England (4th ODI at Mohali, 2012)

Rohit Sharma's 83 helped India clinch the series

Perhaps the most important innings of Rohit Sharma's career came against England at Mohali in 2012. Having struggled to find a permanent spot in the middle order that had the likes of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, Rohit was pushed to the opening slot by captain MS Dhoni.

The move turned out to be a masterstroke as Rohit’s 83 run knock helped India chase down a target of 258 on a lively Mohali track and seal the five-match ODI series against England. He was ably supported by Man of the Match Suresh Raina who scored an unbeaten 89 to take India home.

This innings gave Rohit a new lease of life as he made the opening slot his own, averaging over 50 after his elevation.

#7 58 vs Sri Lanka (2013 Tri-Series Final in West Indies at Trinidad)

MS Dhoni stole the spotlight but it was Rohit Sharma who laid the foundation

India toured the West Indies in 2013 to play a tri-nation ODI series with Sri Lanka named as the third side. This series came just after their historic Champions Trophy win in England. Starting as favourites, India made it to the finals along with Sri Lanka.

MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bowl first on a spicy Queen's Park Oval track in the final. Sri Lanka, on the back of Kumar Sangakkara’s 71 (100), managed to score a total of 203 runs in their 50 overs. The chase will always be remembered for MS Dhoni’s heroics in the last over as he smashed Sri Lanka’s Shaminda Eranga for 6, 4 and 6 to score the 15 runs that were required off the last over.

However, it was Rohit Sharma who laid the foundation for this memorable victory. Rohit showed grit and determination to battle his way to a well-made 58 off 89 balls. After the match, Rohit said, “I am really happy with the way we performed. The wicket was not easy to play shots, I wanted to delay my shots and wanted to stay as long as possible in the middle.”

Rohit added 62 for the 4th wicket with Suresh Raina before Man of the Match MS Dhoni took the game to the last over and with the help of No. 11, Ishant Sharma, won the series for Team India.

#6 209 vs Australia (7th ODI at Bangalore, 2013)

Rohit became the 3rd batsman in history to score a double hundred

One of Rohit Sharma’s all-time greatest knocks was the 209 against Australia in Bangalore in the final game of the ODI series in 2013. This was perhaps the series that transformed his career.

Australian captain George Bailey won the toss and, like most captains do at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, elected to field first. What followed was one of the greatest knocks in ODI history. Rohit started off slowly, getting to his 50 off 71 balls. He was also involved in a mix up that led to Virat Kohli’s run out.

He made up for it though and smashed 16 sixes (the most by any batsman in a single innings) to go with 12 fours on his way to 209. It was the second highest individual score at that time after Virender Sehwag's 219 against West Indies at Indore. Rohit built on a century stand with opener Shikhar Dhawan with a sensational partnership of 167 with MS Dhoni for the 5th wicket to help the team post a massive score of 383.

India went on to defend the target and win the series 3-2. Rohit was the Man of the Match and Man of the Series for his consistent performances.

#5 137 vs Bangladesh (Quarter-finals of ICC World Cup 2015 at The MCG)

Rohit Sharma celebrates his century

"Cometh the hour, cometh the man”. Rohit Sharma had a very quiet 2015 World Cup by his standards heading into the knockout stages of the tournament. However, in the quarter-finals (QF) against Bangladesh at the iconic MCG, the Hitman rose to the occasion once again. He smashed a stylish 137 to take India beyond the 300 run mark which proved to be a match-winning score.

India won the match by a huge margin and booked a spot in the semi-final where they lost to eventual winners Australia. Rohit was the Man of the Match.

#4 50 vs CSK (IPL Final 2015 at Eden Gardens)

Rohit Sharma led from the front in the finals

He might be hailing from Mumbai but Eden Gardens is Rohit Sharma's batting home ground. Every time he turns up at the iconic stadium, he creates new milestones. When he led the Mumbai Indians out for the finals against Chennai in the 8th edition of the IPL, history was beckoning.

Batting at No. 3, Rohit played a sublime knock of 50 off just 26 balls (six fours and two sixes) in the finals against CSK. He was ably supported by the West Indian opener Lendl Simmons, who scored a crucial half-century in the process. Cameos from Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu ensured that MI crossed the 200-run mark.

A target of 203 in the finals was always going to be a tough ask even for a strong batting line up like Chennai. Mumbai eventually won the match by 41 runs, and with it, their second IPL trophy. Rohit Sharma was the Man of the Match for his quickfire 50.

Rohit is not only the most decorated IPL captain but is also the most successful player in IPL history with 4 IPL trophies.

#3 70 vs New Zealand (5th ODI At Visakhapatnam, 2016)

Rohit saved his best for the last in the NZ series last year

Perennial underdogs, the New Zealand side always spring a surprise or two. After getting whitewashed 3-0 in the Test series, most experts and fans expected a one-sided ODI series too. However, New Zealand won the 4th ODI at Ranchi to take the series to a decider at Vizag.

Rohit Sharma had a total of just 53 runs in the first four games of the series. Yet, like all great players do, Rohit saved his best for the last by scoring a fluent 70 off just 65 balls on a tricky pitch. On a surface where most batsmen struggled, he looked at ease and stroked his way to yet another 50 in a big game.

Rohit’s knock propelled India to a competitive total of 269. In reply New Zealand were bundled out for just 79 inside 25 overs, with Amit Mishra taking a 5 wicket haul.

#2 123* Vs Bangladesh (ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at Edgbaston)

Rohit Sharma en route to his century

India played Bangladesh in the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 at Edgbaston. Having won the toss, Captain Kohli decided to bowl first. Bangladesh looked like going past 300 easily at one stage, before collapsing to end with a below-par score of 264.

Much like the last time these two sides met in a 50-over ICC event, Rohit Sharma was Bangladesh’s nemesis, as the stylish Mumbai batsman smashed yet another hundred in a knockout game. Rohit put on 87 for the first wicket with Shikhar Dhawan and followed it with an unbeaten record partnership of 178 with Virat Kohli to seal a nine-wicket win for India.

Rohit was the Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 123.

#1 147 vs New Zealand (3rd ODI at Green Park, Kanpur in 2017)

Rohit and Virat Kohli added 230 runs for the second wicket

The Black Caps visited India again in 2017 to play a three-match T20I & ODI series. The Kiwis shocked India in the first ODI at Wankhede, taking a 1-0 lead.

India bounced back to win the second ODI at Pune to take the series to a decider at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl first on a flat track at Kanpur. Rohit Sharma missed out in the first two ODIs, and like he often does, he came to the party in the game that mattered. Rohit scored his 15th ODI hundred on the same ground where he had scored a 150-run knock in a losing cause against South Africa two years ago.

Rohit and Virat Kohli added 230 runs for the second wicket before Rohit fell 3 runs short of another 150-plus score in ODIs. Virat Kohli scored his 32nd ODI hundred to end the 3-match series as the highest run scorer. India eventually ended with a mammoth scored of 337.

The Kiwis reply gave India a real scare as fifties from Colin Munro (75 off 62), Williamson (64 off 84) and the impressive Latham (65 off 52) took New Zealand to a potentially match-winning position. In the end, it was the astute death bowling of Jasprit Bumrah that helped India win the game by a narrow margin of six runs.

Newly appointed deputy Rohit Sharma was once again the Man of the Match in a crucial game while captain Kohli was adjudged the Man of the series.