Rohit Sharma regains lost paradise in Eden

KOLKATA: There is something about Eden Gardens that continues to inspire generations of cricketers to seek their own paradise at this 150-year-old arena.
The charm of this hallowed venue does not emanate from Biblical connotations but it is hard for batsmen and bowlers not to experience a rush of adrenaline while performing in the bowels of a modern-day coliseum jam-packed with screaming fans.
Ask Rohan Kanhai, who made a sublime 256 here way back in 1958, or VVS Laxman, who surpassed the legendary West Indies batsman in 2001 with an epic 281 that knocked the stuffing out of the Aussies, or Mohd Azharuddin, whose Test record here is truly enviable. Even Harbhajan Singh, who had spun out the Aussies in that historic victory, will tell you about romancing the Eden Gardens.
Rohit Gurunath Sharma, who wrote his name into history books on Thursday by notching up a world record score of 264 in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka, became the new darling of the Eden Gardens crowd after nine years of courtship.
The Mumbaikar was just 19 when he played his first Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai at this venue in 2006-07, and even though he failed in his maiden outing, Eden has not let him return empty-handed subsequently. In fact, he has not put a foot wrong here. A double hundred (200*) for Mumbai against Bengal in the Ranji Trophy (2010-11) was followed by a match winning 109* for the Mumbai Indians versus Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL-5 (2012).
He returned to Eden as Mumbai Indians captain in 2013 to lead his team to the elusive title. Later that year, the right-hander capped his belated Test debut at the Eden Gardens against the West Indies with a sublime 177 to emerge as the heir apparent to Sachin Tendulkar's throne.
On Thursday, Rohit, returning from injury, blasted his way to a magnificent 264 off 173 balls to become the first batsman to log two double hundreds in ODIs.
It also gave him the unique distinction of having scored a century, or more, in all three formats - Test, ODI, T20 - of the game at Eden. For someone who looked lost in English conditions only months back, Rohit's return to Eden was all about regaining his paradise.