Rohit Sharma Better ODI Opener Than Sachin Tendulkar, Feels Simon Doull

Rohit Sharma has established himself as a premier opener in the Indian cricket team. But he started as a middle-order batsman after making his debut in 2007 and struggled during the initial phase of his career. It was only after MS Dhoni promoted him as an opener in 2013, Rohit Sharma started to show his best game in white-ball cricket.

Today, Rohit Sharma is the only batsman to hit three double centuries in white-ball cricket. He has also stitched some key partnership with his various fellow opening batsmen to give the side a head start. At World Cup 2019, Rohit Sharma hit five centuries, and took the world by storm.

His strike-rate has left former New Zealand fast bowler in awe. “His ability to increase his strike-rate past that, even it’s past 60, 70, 80… You don’t see Rohit Sharma getting stuck in the ’90s very often and laboring through the ’90s either. He is just a phenomenal player,” he said.

Rohit Sharma better opener Sachin Tendulkar: Simon Doull

Simon Doull admitted he drew plenty of flak for calling Rohit Sharma better opener than Sachin Tendulkar but he has numbers to back it. Rohit Sharma has an average of 49 as an opener while Tendulkar has an average of 44.

“Well, I personally have copped flak in India because I’ve said he’s the No.1, he’s the first opener picked in an all-time Indian side, hands down. I’m sorry, but you look at the stats, look at the numbers. He averages 49.A strike rate of 88. Sachin averages 44 with a strike-rate of 86, I think, across the careers,”

“So, numbers-wise, Rohit’s numbers are phenomenal, they are better than Sachin’s, that’s why to me he’s the first name on the list, and that’s only because you start at No.1, there’s Kohli on the list, Dhoni’s on the list as you get further down the order,” he added.