T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma’s shot at cricket history

Rohit Sharma, after demolishing England, was cautiously optimistic and cricket correct about the World Cup final. He lauded his team, coolly dismissed the chatter about Virat Kohli and then put his finger on the pulse . It’s the occasion, he said, but it’s best not to overthink.

Surely, the occasion is huge - World Cup finals are part of cricket history and popular culture. That’s why India’s previous wins are etched in our memory . We remember Kapil Dev at the Lord’s balcony with the Prudential Cup, MSD/ Joginder Sharma in 2007 and the unforgettable images from Wankhede in 2011 - MSD’s imperious six into the stands and SRT on the shoulder of team mates.

Rohit, 37, a veteran of 17 years of international career (with almost 500 appearances across formats ) and a captain with 5 IPL titles knows this is the Mt Everest moment in his career. He has scored runs, hit hundreds and punished bowlers batting with effortless elegance but if he- and India- get the better of SA in Barbados, he would have earned a permanent place in Indian cricket .

Cricket is a captains’s game and famous wins are associated with the person calling the shots. For most people, ‘83 is about Paaji, and 2007 and 2011 a result of MSD’s genius. Across the border, the 1992 Australia World Cup win is celebrated at Imran Khan’s golden moment .

In India, Rohit does not yet belong to the all-time great captain’s shortlist. Stretching back in history, Tiger Pataudi was an inspiring leader and after him came a series of stalwarts including SMG. More recently, Indian cricket was dominated by Sourav Ganguly, then came MSD and Virat Kohli .

All Indian captains have been powerful figures, running the Indian team with their vision and deciding policy. Nobody messed with MSD, he was the unquestioned boss who enjoyed the support of the players and the establishment. Virat , the King Kohli, shaped Indian cricket - made fitness and aggression non-negotiable. A forceful leader, he had complete clarity of how the team should play. Nobody accused him of being a democrat.

Rohit is entirely different because he has various arms around various players. He is the friendly ‘bhai’ , the concerned family elder striving for ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’. If he is aggressive, it’s only while swinging hit bat to attack the new ball. He is a street smart khadoos Mumbai player who understands gully cricket and gully language. Someone who wants to win but not the type to remember Ben Stokes in moments of tension.

Instead, captain Rohit will douse a fire instead of lighting the match. Players enjoy his no-tension approach and from all accounts, he ensures the dressing room remains a happy space. Rohit has demonstrated that it’s possible to smile while playing cricket and enjoy the game, a quality that made Kapil paaji so endearing. He is relatable and charmingly old world; he knows how to hustle but is very different from the hot-headed bloke about to explode at the first provocation .

As a player/captain he has been excellent, putting his bat where his mouth is by playing selfless cricket in team interest. It is a cliche for captains to speak about team spirit and putting team above self/ personal performances but with Rohit, these cliches sound true. For him, captaincy is a job, not a mission, and the responsibility sits nicely on him. He has a dignified presense and does not appear burdened by the demands of his job.

Rohit, the Hit Man, has proved you don’t need six packs to smash sixes in cricket. Compared to the super fit gym crafted athletes, Rohit is rather physically ample but to his credit, he is not one to throw his weight around. Considering his nature he could well be from the era before T 20 cricket started.

Fans want India to win, fans want Rohit to win, Ever since the Hardik Pandya IPL episode there is an underlying sympathy for Rohit . The popular take is he was wronged and got a terrible decision - an Indian team captain sacked by a franchise team just didn’t look right.

But that is past, history, done and dusted . As India looks for its first T20 World Cup trophy since IPL started, it’s a great opportunity for Indian cricket. For Rohit Sharma, it’s a shot and a handshake with history.