Junaid Khan, a former fast-bowler from Pakistan, recently picked Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as the best batter from the Indian team, ignoring the likes of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian skipper was the standout player for the Men in Blue in the ODI World Cup, providing an aggressive start to the innings.
On the Nadir Ali podcast, Junaid Khan spoke about a number of topics, including Pakistan’s World Cup campaign and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with the national cricket team following the World Cup final loss.
However, the most widely debated topic he addressed was naming the all-time best Indian batter. While Sachin Tendulkar is widely regarded as the greatest batter in the world, not just in Indian cricket, Khan chose Rohit Sharma, citing his ability to play all the shots in the book and distinguishing him from Kohli and Sachin.
“Mere kahayal mei Rohit Sharma (when asked who’s the better batter between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli). Kyuki jis tarike ki vo batting karta hai, har kism ki shot uske paas hai. Sachin ke runs aap keh sakte hai ki jis time par usne runs banaye agar aajkal ke daur mei hota to uski jo centuries hai vo 100 se 150 tak hoti.”
“Rohit aisa hai ki… Hitman isliye he usko kehte hai. 264 jo hai one-day mei karna, fır double hundred uske 2-3 hai. Ye karna badi baat hoti hai. Ek baar ho jaate hai par jab aap baar baar karte hai to lagta hai ki aap mei vo quality hai. Sabse jyada chakke (sixes) usne he maare hai, toh isliye mera vote jo hai vo Rohit ke paas he jayega,” Junaid Khan said.
Team India’s captain and opener, Rohit Sharma, set the tone at the top of the order by amassing 597 runs, which was second only to Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli. Rohit’s runs were of great significance, as he had the highest strike rate of any top-four batter in the competition, which was 125.94. As captain, he led the Men in Blue to a record-breaking 10-game winning streak in the prestigious competition.
Rohit Sharma is one of the most renowned white-ball captains in the world, leading Mumbai Indians to five IPL championship titles. He also led the Men in Blue to the 2018 Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy titles and added another Asia Cup title under his leadership in Sri Lanka.
