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Former Indian captain MS Dhoni hailed current skipper Rohit Sharma as one of the most naturally gifted talents after an ODI against England in 2013. Incidentally, Dhoni's remarks came after Rohit scored a match-winning 83 in his first stint as India's permanent ODI opener in the fourth game of a five-match series.
After missing out on the opening three games, Rohit, who had predominantly batted in the middle order from his debut in 2007 until then, was made to open in the fourth ODI. He answered the call in style, scoring a 93-ball 83 to help India chase down 258 in the 48th over and take an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
Dhoni was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports about Rohit in the post-match press conference:
"I am glad he (Rohit) scored runs because he is one of the most God-gifted talent that is around. Of course an innings like this was very much needed for him. It will give him a lot of confidence and also time at the top level. Personally I am very happy for him."
"We all felt he is someone who can be a really good opener in the sense he cuts and pulls really well. Also with two openers you want one of them to be slightly aggressive than the other I think he accepted the challenge in the sense he also felt he got into the side because Manoj was unfit. So it was an opportunity for him. The good thing was he took it as a challenge," he added.
The knock at the top turned Rohit's ODI career around as he has since become one of the all-time greats in the format.
The 37-year-old has scored 10,866 runs at an average of 49.16 and a strike rate of 92.43 in 265 ODI games.
Rohit Sharma holds several ODI records in his illustrious career
Rohit Sharma boasts several key ODI batting records during his decorated 16-year career.
The stylish right-hander is the only batter in ODI history with multiple double centuries (3). Rohit also holds the record for the highest-ever ODI score with his 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014.
The current skipper has also scored the most centuries in ODI World Cups with seven, including five in the 2019 World Cup - the most in a single edition.
Rohit is also the second fastest all-time to 10,000 ODI runs (behind only Virat Kohli), reaching the landmark in 241 innings.
