Accomplishing a massive milestone, India batter Rohit Sharma reached the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s ODI batter rankings for the very first time in his illustrious career. The 38-year-old veteran rose to the top on Wednesday, following an impressive unbeaten century in the third and final ODI against Australia in Sydney.
Rohit’s dazzling knock of 121 not out not only guided India to a commanding nine-wicket victory but also propelled him two places up in the ICC ODI batting rankings. Former England skipper Nasser Hussain expressed his surprise at how long it took for Rohit to achieve this feat.
“I can’t believe it, to be honest. I heard he [Rohit Sharma] went to number one and my first question was- when has he been at number one before? And someone said it’s the first time. I mean, he’s been around forever; he’s got three double hundreds in ODI cricket. There must have been some good white players, one-day players in the last 15 years. Fabulous white-ball cricketer, fabulous player, and well done to him. He deserves to be number 1 in the world,” Hussain told ICC.
Over the course of his ODI career, Rohit has played 276 matches, amassing 11,370 runs at an average of 49.22. He has 33 centuries and 59 half-centuries in the format. Nasser Hussain further lauded Rohit's enduring quality and hunger for runs.
“He tried to set the tone and change the culture of the team when he was captain, and he did that and did that seriously well. He just got all the shots, you can pitch it up and you get driven down the ground. The bowlers just drag their length back a little bit and he's one of the great pullers in the modern game and he's a fabulous player of spin as well and hunger for the game,” Hussain stated.