Will Rohit Sharma finally make it count?

Rohit Sharma has been outstanding in the shortest format

Every season, the IPL shows you the version of Rohit Sharma that you really want to see – the man possessing the supple, delicate wrists; the man who almost always seems to have the extra half second to play the ball; the man who oozes class with every shot; and also the man who would play according to the situation and not gift his wicket to the opposition – this version of Rohit Sharma clearly exists, but mysteriously disappears into oblivion in international cricket.

But now, something has changed. After being handed the responsibility of opening the batting, Rohit Sharma has been displaying uncharacteristic maturity at the crease.

The forties and fifties are coming with a greater level of consistency, and he has even managed to score that century that he spent the last 58 innings desperately searching for – a wonderfully composed, unbeaten 141 against Australia in the second ODI.

In the 22 innings where he has opened the batting, he has amassed 803 runs at a healthy average of 42.26. He has looked the part, and has taken to his new role like a fish to water. Akin to Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Sourav Ganguly, he too has completed a smooth transition from the middle order to the top.

Perhaps international cricket will now see a new Rohit Sharma. Perhaps we will now witness the version of Rohit Sharma that we have got so accustomed to watching in the IPL. Perhaps we will watch Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan form a stable yet explosive opening combination in the years to come.

Perhaps not.

After all, he has been guilty of following golden phases with extended periods of sheer nothingness. In 2011, he raised the hopes of one billion people by scoring 611 runs at 55.44. “He’s finally arrived”, we said. “All those years we invested in him has paid off”, we said. And then he went on to crush all our faith the very next year.

In 2012, Rohit Sharma only managed 168 runs in 14 games, at a treacherous average of 12.92 – only slightly greater than Zaheer Khan’s career batting average.

Rohit Sharma is currently going through a purple patch. But sooner or later, every purple patch comes to an end. And how Rohit deals with the situation when the runs aren’t gushing off his blade will define him as a cricketer.

How he deals with fluctuating form will be a clear indication as to whether there really has been a transformation in him, or if he is still the Rohit Sharma who flatters to deceive.