"After the World Cup..." - Sairaj Bahutule's bold verdict on Rohit Sharma's 58 vs SL in 1st ODI

India National Cricket Team bowling coach for the ongoing Sri Lanka tour, Sairaj Bahutule, lavished rich praise on captain Rohit Sharma for his batting masterclass in the first ODI. He said that with the way the opening batter batted, it didn't look like he took a break.

India captain Rohit Sharma, who played his first ODI since the final of the ICC World Cup 2023, looked in magnificent touch in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. The opening batter played a sensational innings and made sure that he gave his team a flying start.

In the chase of 231 runs, Rohit Sharma started his innings on a dominating note. On the second ball of the innings, he came down the track and hit the massive six to get his innings going, and after that, there was no looking back for him.

The India captain batted aggressively throughout his innings and ensured that his team maximized the powerplay. He notched up a brutal half-century in just 33 balls, as he seemed to be batting on a different track. With other batters struggling to get going, his innings had great value for the team.

Rohit Sharma ended with an innings of 58 runs off 47 balls. The opening batter batted with a strike rate of over 123 and also slammed 7 fours and 3 sixes in his innings. He added 75 runs opening partnership with Shubman Gill to put Sri Lanka on the back foot.

Sairaj Bahutule was in awe of the way Rohit Sharma batted. He hailed India's batter for taking responsibility and taking on the opposition in every game, stating that he will continue batting in the same way. Speaking during a press conference, he explained:

"Rohit and his innings were fantastic because I think after the World Cup, this is the first ODI innings he played and it didn't look like there was a break, so fabulous, he takes on the responsibility, he takes it on any opposition, any pace attack, he is very positive in his intent and I think that's the way he always plays and will continue to play."

Rohit Sharma equals Sachin Tendulkar for most fifty-plus scores for India

Rohit Sharma's blistering half-century also helped him equal Sachin Tendulkar's in a massive feat. He now has joint most scores of 50 and above by an Indian opener in international cricket across formats.

Both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar now have 120 fifty-plus scores. They are following Graeme Smith (125), Desmond Haynes (131), Sanath Jayasuriya (136), Chris Gayle (144), and David Warner (146) in the list of most scores of 50 and above.

Rohit Sharma also went past 1000 fours in ODI cricket. He became the fifth player from India to achieve the feat, joining the likes of Sourav Ganguly (1122), Virender Sehwag (1132), Virat Kohli (1294) and Sachin Tendulkar (2016) in the list of most fours by India batter in the history of the 50-over cricket.