Buvanesh

An Ardent Cinema Fan | Cricket tweets at @Cricindeed | Blog: ✍️

Fact Writer in:

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

I just published When the going gets tough, Steve Smith gets going… — CricIndeed https://t.co/Lx4FwkdUAD

#Ashes #ENGvAUS

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@TheKhelIndia It was a cricketing issue, not a mindset one. India failed to adapt to Ireland's conditions and ground dimensions, while Ireland did. Several good shots ended up as boundary catches. A valuable lesson from a short tournament better than exposing deeper flaws.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

Abdolutely. Can't wait for this to happen.

[Vishnu (Nation always comes 1st-HATE DMK,CONG,TVK) @vishy82]

@irbishi Ireland winning is the icing on top of the 🍰 cricket wise , this beautiful game needs more competitors like Ireland , we have 110 ranked T20 teams in ICC.
we need 40 strong teams . Cricket is on the rise in Europe, Asia, Africa ,EAP . Need more concentration in Americas.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@VRFridayMatinee The only thing exposed is the sick mindset of people who can't tolerate even a single slip from one of the best-performing teams in the world. Pity the people who have to live around you.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@Mukil_Vardhanan Two simple logics. One - Some movies are made for crowd watching ( writer had the theater audience in mind while writing the scenes) and few works better when watched in OTT. Second - Inga oruthar nalla irukunu solratha nalla ilanu sonathan engagement kidaikum.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@sumanthraman Arai kurai Sumanthan

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@fifthstump I don't think there'll be much rotation now. Any changes will be within this squad. Feels like they've locked in their final XV for the England series, and only injuries will force changes. It's also their last tough away tour in SA-like conditions before the World Cup.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@Vikas662005 Every captain and coach have the right to back the players they believe in. When results don't go well, everyone can have opinions. But this team has consistently performed well. Even D, K, and R had their own style of picking players.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@arpanbera189011 @intensegasser @samiprajguru Test in SA are completely different from white ball cricket there.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is going to make many batters look bad on his days for sure.

[Rajiv @Rajiv1841]

Tilak Varma gone for 67 runs off 90 balls on a day when Team India played over runrate of 7 & was in very good position.

His every single knock has been like this, he plays tuktuk only at strike rate between 60-70. Even in 90s such ODI batting won't be accepted! Clown!

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@Rajiv1841 Not defending Tilak Varma here. But this is how ODIs have been played for a long time. When your openers are out inside 10 overs even with a 10+ RR, it is important to hold wickets till around 30 before unleashing. Where Tilak lost today was not being able to capitalise later.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@samiprajguru Also when it comes to South African conditions, it is not what we see in these Indian bilaterals. It needs players who are expert in handling shorter deliveries, which I think Rohit tops. And even with Gill, he has not even proven himself in bigger games yet. Xperience matters!

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@samiprajguru Happen to watch yesterday's game in Chepauk, and trust me Rohit was in his best I have ever seen him play. Elegant with his shots and he is much ahead of anyone in the squad when it comes to game awareness - the one vital thing you will need in big tournaments. +1

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@Crick_logist Will know this by the end of England series I believe.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

Please give it a read & let me know what you think.

This is about what separates Rohit Sharma from other ODI beasts. Three double 💯 are not just about power hitting. They are about timing, control, & the ability to build innings that very few batters have ever possessed.

[CricIndeed @CricIndeed]

I think Rohit Sharma is entering a new phase. In this new phase, you can once again see the hunger for runs and the hunger for scoring big. This feels like the old Rohit Sharma. I would call it Rohit Sharma 3.0.

People often forget that Rohit Sharma is the only batter in ODI history to score three double centuries. Think about that for a moment. Only around a dozen players have ever scored a double century in ODI cricket, and Rohit has done it three times. He is also the batter with the most 150-plus scores in ODI cricket.

So what makes Rohit Sharma such a monster in the format?

It is his ability to play in line and build an innings. That is the biggest difference. He is one of the greatest six hitters the game has seen, yet he is also capable of batting deep enough to score 200. Most power hitters are not built that way.

Take other aggressive batters. Many of them become more attacking as they approach a hundred. Their strike rate keeps climbing and that often brings risk. Even someone like Chris Gayle had a fixed template. He would start slowly, rotate strike for the first few overs, settle in, and then gradually unleash. Once Gayle entered that phase, only his wicket could stop the sixes.

Rohit is different.

He has the ability to score boundaries from the first ball, but he understands phases better than almost anyone. The most vulnerable phase of his innings is usually when he reaches 30 to 40 runs. That is often the only window where bowlers can consistently get him out. But if he crosses that stage, the game changes.

He starts in third gear, then almost shifts down to first and second gear between 30 and 80. He rotates strike, picks the bad balls, and quietly keeps the scoreboard moving. Then, without anyone noticing, he changes gears again.

That is the beauty of Rohit's batting.

With many players, you can sense when an attack is coming. You can see it in their intent and body language. With Rohit, it is almost invisible. The transition is effortless. It is like driving a CVT automatic car. The gears change, but you barely notice it.

Watch his 264 against Sri Lanka or his double centuries against Australia. Once he crossed 130 or 140, he looked unstoppable. At that point, he seemed to have a boundary option for every field setting and every delivery. When Rohit gets into that flow state, cricket starts looking different for him. Wherever the ball is bowled, he appears to have a shot to put it over the boundary.

That is why he has three ODI double centuries.

Then came the captaincy phase.

After becoming India's captain, Rohit understood that ODI cricket was evolving. The 2019 World Cup showed how teams like England and Australia were changing the format. They played fearless cricket and attacked from the start.

Rohit wanted India to adopt that mindset.

In many ways, he sacrificed parts of his own game to make it happen. He started attacking from ball one, setting the tone for the team. The cost of that approach was visible. The huge scores, the 150s and double centuries, became less frequent. But India's intent changed completely.

His strike rate remained exceptionally high. Even when he was not scoring massive hundreds, he was giving India explosive starts and changing the momentum of matches.

The seeds of India's current aggressive white-ball approach were planted by Rohit Sharma the captain, even more than Rohit Sharma the batter.

Now, though, I think we are seeing something different.

Many fans who started watching cricket in the last four or five years think Rohit has become a naturally aggressive player who only wants quick starts. I don't see it that way.

What I see is the return of the hunger for big scores.

That is why he looked disappointed after getting out in the seventies against Afghanistan. That is why even some of his recent hundreds have felt emotional. He does not just want quick runs. He wants to bat long. He wants to dominate innings again.

For the next year leading into the 2027 World Cup, I expect Rohit to combine both versions of himself. He will start aggressively, absorb pressure when needed, rotate strike, and then look to play those long match-defining knocks that made him famous.

I believe we will see more big scores from him, especially in major series ahead.

And when India tours South Africa, his role will become even more important. Those conditions demand experience. His ability against the short ball, his understanding of pace and bounce, and his knowledge of managing difficult phases make him invaluable.

India has plenty of talented players. There is no doubt about that. But experience in big tournaments and tough overseas conditions cannot be replaced overnight.

If India wants to be serious contenders in the 2027 World Cup, Rohit Sharma still has a major role to play.

What we may be witnessing right now is not the end of Rohit Sharma's journey.

It might just be the beginning of Rohit Sharma 3.0.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@fifthstump Won't be surprised if Ishan becomes the first chooce wk soon in the XI. Also Prasidh's height and lines could make him the first chooce bowler in ENG and SA conditions.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@MohanSelvan1 @TNCACricket It was only 50 in our stand. I upper stand

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@kartik_kannan Firstly the lower stand in the picture was not opened for public. The higher ones are charged 5k per ticket. The other stands are almost full

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@venom1s Add to it an own house

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@captainshanky It's a bad move again. The problem is Rishabh is not a captaincy material. Some players are good to be left alone to get the best of them. He is an asset as a free float batter and a wicketkeeper. What they need is a captain who knows their players in the side to build a team.

[Buvanesh @buviwrites]

@TheClubJunto Used to work in Zoho and S Vembu's major point of company not going public is this. He wanted things to take its time. He still treats his company a R&D company and that's the way it should be.