Rohit Sharma reveals the solid reason behind his nickname ‘Hitman’

Limited-overs opening batsman Rohit Sharma is cherishing the name of ‘Hitman’ by scoring the bulk of runs for Team India which further saw him clearing the boundary ropes with ease.

“It happened in 2013 when I was playing against Australia in Bangalore,” Rohit told India Today.

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However, the nickname was given to him by current head coach Ravi Shastri way back in 2013 when India hosted Australia.

“I like it. It is unusual,” Rohit maintained.

Rohit smashed his first double-ton against Australia when he took 158 balls to reach 209 in 2013.

The top-order batsman Rohit has further expressed the liking for the name which eventually became popular following his brilliance with the bat.

The 30-year-old right-handed batsman Rohit was leading Men in Blue in the maiden limited-overs series where he brought some spectacular performances with the bat before sealing the series 3-0 (T20Is) and 2-1 (ODIs).

Recently, in one of the Tweny20 fixtures in Indore, Rohit smashed the joint-fastest ton against Sri Lanka off 35 deliveries after smashing his third double-hundred in the 50-over format.

Scintillating with the bat, Rohi remarked Shastri has overhead one of the crew members before calling him ‘Hitman’ which subsequently resonate with what he produces with the willow.

“There is a guy called PD in the crew, he said after the game that ‘you played like a Hitman’. Ravi was standing there, heard it and said it during commentary,” Rohit maintained.

Moreover, 208 was also his first double-ton as a skipper.

It becomes pertinent that, Rohit becomes a threatening batsman altogether when it comes to the white-ball cricket which was the solid reason former Indian cricketer Shastri gave him the nickname during the commentating stint in Bangalore.

Interestingly, the batting star in the form of Rohit is the only batter who smashed three ODI double-hundred and is on the bender of scoring runs at the will by smashing the bowlers all around the park.

Rohit was appointed as the stand-in skipper when regular prospect Virat Kohli had asked for a break.

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Moreover, with India scheduled to tour South Africa for the bilateral series, Rohit reiterated it would be a tough challenge to play in the away conditions and against a quality side.

“You have to play the shots and bowl in the right areas to get the wickets. The basics remain the same,” Rohit concluded.

The Kohli-led side will fly to the African continent on December 27 (Wednesday), and the first of the three-match Test series will be beginning from January 5, 2018, in Cape Town.

Rohit so far featured in 174 ODIs, 71 Twenty20 internationals and 23 Test fixtures. He smashed 16 hundreds and 34 fifties in the 50-over format, as he has three tons in the Test fold followed with two in T20Is.