Jan. 8: If three years of the Indian Premier League’s on-field story were to be told in three minutes, a majority of it will be spent raving about just two special knocks.
Needing 21 runs to win off the last over in IPL-2, Deccan Chargers were on the brink of defeat before Rohit Sharma clobbered two hits to the fence and an equal number over it to steal the win from the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Last year, Yusuf Pathan hit a 37-ball century against Mumbai Indians that compelled Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne to compare him with Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit was snapped up by Mumbai Indians for $2 million and Kolkata Knight Riders broke the bank for Yusuf Pathan ($2.1 million).
Rohit’s new salary puts him above captain Sachin Tendulkar (who has been retained by Mumbai for $1.8 million) before the auction. However, it is hard to believe that Tendulkar could be paid less than a member of his own team.
Rohit said he was expecting to be part of the Mumbai Indians, but not at such a price. “It’s my home team. I was expecting Mumbai to buy me this time around,” Rohit said.
“Being a Mumbai guy, it’s always a pleasure and I will be playing under Sachin paaji, which is what I always wanted. I’m very surprised at the price. To be frank, I didn’t expect this kind of amount,” he said.
Rohit is also a handy bowler, and has taken a hat-trick as well. “Bowling is an integral part of my game. It makes captains’ job very easy if you have part-timers around,” Rohit said.
Yusuf said playing for Kolkata would be a different experience.
“I’m happy to move to Kolkata, but I’ll certainly miss Rajasthan — Shane Warne and Shane Watson really guided me and instilled confidence. People in Kolkata love their cricket, and I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere there. It’s a new place and I’ll be doing my very best,” he said.