Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra expects a few centuries from Rohit Sharma’s willow in the ODI World Cup to be played in India later this year as well. However, Rohit, with 648 runs which came at an average of 81.00, was the leading run-getter in the 2019 World Cup. He is likely to open the batting with either Shubman Gill or Ishan Kishan in the upcoming mega event.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “When we talk about the top three, it seems like who is better than us? Sare jahan se acha Hindustan hamara – you get a feeling like that from within because we have Shubman Gill alongside Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli will come after them. Rohit Sharma has scored more than 9800 runs. He has scored 30 centuries, has an average of nearly 49, and a strike rate of 90. It’s almost similar in Asia. So you can assume that Rohit Sharma is going to hit you. If he plays all nine matches, he should score two centuries and one daddy hundred as an opener. I am expecting that.”
READ MORE: Virat Kohli shares the importance of maintaining diet
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has scored 4067 runs at an excellent average of 58.10 and a stunning strike rate of 100.09 in 78 ODI innings in India as well. He has hit 12 centuries, including all three of his double centuries, and 18 fifties on home soil as well. Aakash Chopra also stated that Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma form an excellent opening pair for India.
READ MORE: “Can be the future captain of India” – Kiran More on Ruturaj Gaikwad
“Shubman Gill is exactly the same to be fair. His sample size is very small compared to Rohit. He has an average of 62 in 27 games, which becomes 64 in Asia. Three of his four centuries have come in Asia. Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma complement each other really well. If you get across them, then comes Virat Kohli – the father of ODI cricket at this point in time. He has scored nearly 13000 runs in 275 games with 46 centuries, an average of 57. Out of the 46 hundreds, 31 have come in Asia. The average becomes 58 and more than 7400 runs are in Asia only. So India’s top three are worth saluting,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
