Not Virender Sehwag Or Sachin Tendulkar! The 36-year-old star is chosen by Michael Clarke as the “best white-ball opener.”
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has named Indian men’s cricket team captain Rohit Sharma the finest white-ball opener and has heaped accolades upon him. The 36-year-old right-handed hitter was his preference above players like Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.
“Rohit Sharma is the best white ball opener,” said Clarke, who captained Australia to the 2015 ODI World Cup, in an interview with Star Sports. The Indians of Mumbai need him.
In the IPL 2024, Rohit—who previously led the Mumbai Indians to five IPL championships—will be a specialist hitter. Prior to the IPL 2024 auction, he was relieved of his leadership by MI last year, and Hardik Pandya took his position.
The 36-year-old Rohit, who was dismissed for a golden duck in MI’s most recent IPL 2024 encounter against the Rajasthan Royals, will next be seen in action on Sunday, April 7, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the five-time champions’ fourth league stage match against the Delhi Capitals.
Since joining the Mumbai Indians in 2011, the right-handed hitter has amassed 5110 runs in 201 games, making him the team’s most productive batter in the IPL. He will be driven to produce a spectacular performance on MI’s home field and assist them in winning the first game of the lucrative league.
With 151 T20Is played so far, Rohit has amassed 3974 runs. He got his fifth T20I century in the most recent white-ball encounter between India and Afghanistan on January 17, 2024. During his 262 ODI appearances, he has amassed 10,709 runs for the Men in Blue. He ended as the second-leading run scorer in the 2023 ODI World Cup and is the second-fastest hitter to reach 10,000 runs in ODIs.
During the men’s 50-over megaevent held in India last year, the skipper of India amassed 597 runs with a strike rate of 125.95 and an average of 54.27 in 11 matches.
His appointment as captain of India for the T20 World Cup 2024 is definite; BCCI secretary Jay Shah gave his approval in February.
