You Don’t See Him Getting Stuck in The 90s: Simon Doull Rates Rohit Sharma as a Better ODI Opener Than Sachin Tendulkar

Former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull believes India opener Rohit Sharma is a better limited-overs opener than Sachin Tendulkar. Doull said Rohit does not get stuck in the 90s as Tendulkar did during his illustrious career.

“His ability to increase his strike-rate past that, even it’s past 60, 70, 80… You don’t see Rohit Sharma getting stuck in the ’90s very often and labouring through the ’90s either. He is just a phenomenal player,” said Simon Doull in ICC’s ‘Cricket Inside Out’.

Doull also confessed drawing a lot of flak in India for his comments, but he still believes that Rohit’s numbers speak for themselves.

“Well, I personally have copped flak in India because I’ve said he’s the No.1, he’s the first opener picked in an all-time Indian side, hands down. I’m sorry, but you look at the stats, look at the numbers. He averages 49.A strike rate of 88. Sachin averages 44 with a strike-rate of 86, I think, across the career,” he added.

Adding further, Doull said India skipper Virat Kohli and former captain Dhoni would also make his list at other positions, but not Sachin at the number one slot.

“So, numbers-wise, Rohit’s numbers are phenomenal, they are better than Sachin’s, that’s why to me he’s the first name on the list, and that’s only because you start at No.1, there’s Kohli on the list, Dhoni’s on the list as you get further down the order,” he added.

Tough Tendulkar was the first cricketer to score a double-hundred in ODIs, Rohit has three double tons to his name already at the top of the order, with the highest score of 264*.