Rohit back to CT, where the ODI opener was born

Having reinvented his batting template, the India captain is expected to stick to his high-scoring tempo

- Rasesh Mandani

Between his debut in late January 2013, Rohit Sharma played 86 ODIs and scored 1978 runs at an average of 23.02. Ordinary numbers for a batsman of his talent. And many would ask for his axing on a regular basis.

Then, MS Dhoni decided that having Rohit bat lower down the order (at No.6) was a waste. So ahead of the 2013 Champions Trophy, the skipper asked the then-India opener from Mumbai to open the innings.

"I believe the decision to open the innings changed my career and it was a decision taken by Dhoni. I became a better batsman after that," Rohit said in 2017.

Dhoni just came up to me and said, "I want you to open the innings as I am confident that you will do well. Since you can play the cut and pull shot well, you have the qualities to succeed as an opener," Rohit added. "He told me that I shouldn't be scared of failures or get upset by criticisms. He was looking at the bigger picture as the Champions Trophy was scheduled in England that year."

There is one moment that can be described as game-changing; it was in 2013. In the 182 matches since, he has scored 9010 runs at an average of 56.66 with 30 hundreds. He became one of the most prolific batters in the format, and that even led to him earning a place in Test cricket and then becoming India's all-format skipper.

As we approach the Champions Trophy in 2025, 12 years after that switch, Rohit is once again in need of a pick-me-up. He wants to go on his own terms; he wants to play on, but so much will depend on how he performs in the middle as captain and as a batsman.

His century in the Cuttack ODI against England would have taken the pressure a bit -- 119 runs off 65 balls with 7 sixes -- after it followed a spell of 13 low scores. So much of Rohit's game is about the economy of movement, his hands, smooth bat flow and his gift of timing.

Is it all back?