Rohit Sharma holds the record for most double-tons in ODIs-3 with highest score of 264.
Rohit Sharma, noted for his calm and serene manner on the field, is a superb cricketer with a fun reputation for forgetfulness.
But umpire Anil Chaudhary asserts that while Rohit may appear casual, he possesses a sharp, intelligent, cricketing mind.
"Rohit aapko lagta casual hai par bahot smart player hai. Iss chakkar mein na padna aap. He is very smart. Cricketing IQ bahut achha hai uska, means game ki samajh (Rohit may seem casual, but he's a very smart player, don't get fooled thinking otherwise; his game sense is very good).
Uski Batting se idea nahi aata aapko. Jab wo batting karta hai to lagta hai 120 (kmph) pe bowling ho rahi hai. Jab dusra batting karta hai to lagta hai 160 pe bowling ho rahi hai....Wo bahut saari appealon mein aa jata hai aur kehta hai 'abey rehne de'. Woh lagta casual hai par casual bilkul nahi hai woh (you can't guess his sharp mind from his batting. When he's batting, it seems someone is bowling at 120 kmph, but when someone else is batting, the speed seems like 160 kmph. He gets involved in a lot of appeals and then says 'Let it be.' He may seem casual, but he's not casual at all),” Chaudhary said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast.
"Rohit jaise player ke liye umpiring karna bada easy hai. Ya to out hota hai ya to not out hota hai. Seedha seedha kaam hai uska. Guchur guchur khelta hi nahi hai wo. Woh out hai ya not out hai. Aise player ko umpiring karna bahot easy hai. Usko dekhna aap, ya to woh saaf out hoga ya saaf not out hoga (umpiring for a player like Rohit is very easy; he's either out or not out, it's straightforward with him. He doesn't play confusingly]," he further added.
Umpire Chaudhary has seen Rohit Sharma batting from close quarters and lauded the batter’s footwork and ball sense.
"Woh natural hai. Uska footwork bahut acha hai. Woh jaldi aage nahi bhagta, peechhe rehta hai, bowl ka wait karta hai. Ek cheez hoti hai cricket mein 'ball sense'. Usko jabardast ball-sense hai. Usko pata hai kis ball pe aage jaana hai. Uska short-arm pull dekho; baap re baap! (he's natural; his footwork is excellent. He doesn't rush forward; he stays back and waits for the ball. In cricket, there's something called ball sense. He has an incredible ball sense. He knows exactly when to move forward on a ball. Look at his short-arm pull shot. Unbelievable)," he added.
Chaudhary also recalled Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata and said that the ball that was yorkers for other batters, Rohit was hammering them for sixes.
"Mai ek match pe TV umpire tha. He scored 200 plus. Jo balls dusro ke liye yorker thi, uspe wo chhakke maar raha tha. I think Kolkata mei match tha. Wo different class hai. Woh lagta lazy hai, par bahut idea hai usko. Swing ka idea hai usko [I was a TV umpire in one match. He scored 200-plus. The balls that were yorkers for others, he was hitting those for sixes. I think the match was in Kolkata. He's in a different class. He may seem lazy, but he has a lot of ideas. He understands swing]," Chaudhary recalled.
"Woh jis din apne flow mei hoga, woh one man army hai. Batting mein woh class hai. Jab wo batting kar raha hota hai, bada achha lagta hai. Kaptaani to sahi hai uski, but his batting is like music (on the day he's in his flow, he's a one-man army. His batting is of a different class. When he's batting, it feels great to watch. His captaincy is fine, but his batting is like music]," he said.
(Times of India inputs)