'Virat Kohli Doesn't go for Sixes Because Rohit Sharma is Setting the Base': Batting Great Wants India Captain to Score Big in Final

Among the top-10 run-getters of the 2023 ODI World Cup so far, India captain Rohit Sharma has the best strike-rate.

Rohit’s blistering starts in the Powerplay have allowed India to push the opponents on the back foot from the word go and allowed the batters that follow to consolidate and avoid taking risks culminating in challenging totals.

Rohit has amassed 550 runs from 10 innings at a strike-rate of 124.15 and has taken the new ball bowlers to the cleaners, not worried about individual totals.

He has one century and three half-centuries but is top on the list of batters with most sixes so far (28) and second in the list of most fours (62).

Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts. 

In other words, 416 of his 550 runs have come in boundaries.

India batting great Gundappa Viswanath says it’s because of Rohit’s aggression at the top that Virat Kohli is able to bat for a longer period.

“The way Rohit has been giving aggressive starts in the powerplay even though he is not getting big scores like 100 which he is capable of… the other batters are following that pattern,” Viswanath was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“From the beginning, Kohli doesn’t go for sixes, he tries to work it out, for Rohit is setting the base. All know Shubman hits clean and so it is the key for the latter batsmen to come and get going,” he added.

Rohit’s lone century of the ongoing tournament came against Afghanistan in Delhi and Viswanath wants the India skipper to aim for a longer, bigger innings in the final against Australia on Sunday.

“This is the final, so he (Rohit) should carry on. We all know what kind of batter he is, he’s capable of scoring 150 if not more, that should be on his mind. Instead of giving platform to other batters, once he gets in and comes closer to powerplay, he should continue, that will help the team and give more worry to opponent,” he said.