How far does Rohit Sharma’s top-three case go?

After Rohit Sharma’s 101 against West Indies, the idea that he belongs among India’s three greatest ODI cricketers is easy to embrace. Over the last two years in men’s ODIs, he has averaged 48.52 against 32.81 for top-seven batters. There is substance behind the enthusiasm: Rohit continues to make runs far beyond the standard of the ordinary international batter.

India won that match against West Indies. His 138 against England came in defeat, and that innings deserves its weight in the argument too. Judging him through the results alone would give the winning hundred an advantage it has not earned. Both innings strengthen his batting case; the defeat against England should cost him nothing in a discussion about his greatness.

A career standard sustained

The strongest connection between those hundreds and Rohit’s longer career is his average. His career figure of 48.6 is almost exactly matched by his recent return. He is still delivering the productivity on which his reputation rests, giving the argument more substance than the glow of his latest hundred.

He has also scored at a strike rate of 100.4 over those two years, against 84.8 for top-seven batters. India have an opener combining that sustained average with a pace comfortably above the benchmark. The appeal of Rohit’s case lies in that combination: concentrating only on how many runs he makes understates what he gives the innings.

What second place settles

Our ratings place Rohit as the second-best ODI batter in the world, worth 7.2 runs a match more than an average player. That standing makes his continuing excellence clear, even in a comparison extending beyond India.

Second place among today’s batters cannot become third place among India’s greatest ODI cricketers by implication. That judgement covers whole careers and contributions beyond batting. Rohit’s average and scoring speed establish why he belongs in the conversation, but putting him above other Indian greats requires a direct comparison with them. His place among India’s ODI greats is secure. The top-three claim remains unproven.