World Cup 2019: Rohit Sharma better than me and my brothers, says Mushtaq Mohammad

MANCHESTER: Rohit Sharma's batting in England this summer has charmed everyone. In the form of his life, the Mumbaikar has become the first to slam five hundreds in a single edition of the World Cup. Ahead of the semifinals, Rohit had amassed 647 runs in eight games at an average of 92.42, making him the highest scorer of the tournament.


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And among his fans is Pakistan great Mushtaq Mohammad, who held the record for being the youngest Test centurion for more than 40 years - from 1961 to 2001 - before Bangladesh's Mohammad Ashraful broke it. "He's a wonderful player," Mushtaq tells TOI from Birmingham, where he resides currently.

Does Rohit remind Mushtaq of any Pakistani batsman from yesteryear, or any of his illustrious brothers - Hanif, Sadiq or Wazir Mohammad - who were all a treat to watch? The 75-year-old's answer tell you how highly he rates Rohit. "He's a lot better than any of us," he says, forcing you to check with him again. "He is. It's a fact."

Describing what he likes about Rohit's batting, Mushtaq uses three golden words: "His technique, aggression and shot selection. He's good to watch"

Apparently so good to watch that India skipper Virat Kohli labelled him the best in the ODI format on the eve of semifinal with New Zealand. Does Mushtaq agree?

"I don't like to compare anyone with anybody. On the day, if you play well, you're a good player. But the one who is more consistent is the best player. Kohli, Rohit and Babar are all consistent," says the former Pakistan captain.

Yet, for all his ODI heroics, Rohit has failed to make a mark in Test cricket. Having started off with a couple of hundreds against the West Indies at home in his debut series, Rohit has so far only managed 1585 runs in 27 Tests@39.62. He has been in and out of the Test side having failed to achieve much success outside India. At 32, time could be running out for him to prove his class in the longer format.

Mushtaq, who played 57 Tests, feels Rohit deserves another shot. "I'm disappointed that India don't play him in Tests. I believe he's a good enough player to get into the Indian Test side. He'll come through. He's one of the players you need," he says.

There has been tremendous sympathy all around for Pakistan who failed to make it to the semis, despite winning their last four games. Mushtaq, however, feels his country came to the party a tad bit late. "They should've won a couple of games in the second half, particularly the one against Australia in Taunton. If we'd won that game, we'd have gone through. They started off poorly, but made it up later, but that wasn't enough," he says.


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