here are two facts about Rohit Sharma that have never been in doubt. The first one is that he is one of the most talented young batsmen that India has produced. The second is that so far in his international career, he has been one of the most spectacular under-achievers that India has ever produced.

Hailed as the heir apparent to Sachin Tendulkar's No.4 spot in the Test batting lineup -- he even hails from the same city and plays with Tendulkar for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy -- Rohit's batting has had connoisseurs and experts alike shaking their heads with wonder at his balance and the time he has to play his shots, and in bewilderment at his continued failure on the big stage.

Numbers tell the story of Rohit Sharma well: he averages 53.52 in first class cricket, and has scored an unbeaten triple hundred (something that Sachin Tendulkar is yet to do), but his average in 88 ODIs is just 30.82 at a none-too-inspiring strike rate of 78.21.

Set against that are some performances that spoke undeniably about his talent -- for instance against Australia in Australia, in just his third international series, Rohit came up with some crucial cameos and composed fifties under pressure in the CB series. The other team in the series was Sri Lanka -- who had no mean bowling attack -- and Rohit impressed everyone with his batting.

That performance earned him an extended lease in the Indian team for both ODIs and Twenty20s. However, his subsequent performances didn't match up to that level at all (his average was a pedestrian 22 and his strike rate was below 70) and he failed to cement a place in the side. His inconsistency kept him out of the 2011 World Cup squad.

What kept Rohit in the minds of the public and the selectors was his performance in the IPL. In the first two editions he shone with the bat, making over 350 runs each time, and in the second one, he chipped in with some good performances with the ball too, justifying an expensive price tag of USD 750,000. He was bought by the Mumbai in 2011 and has been one of their finest batsmen. He also went onto make a century for them.

Unfortunately his IPL success has not helped him grow bigger in the International arena. Call it bad luck or irresponsible, Rohit Sharma has not been able to establish himself on a long term basis in the side in ample opportunities that he was given.

Rohit's success in the IPL 2011 helped him make a comeback into the ODI squad for the subsequent tour of West Indies and for a brief while, it looked like a turning point in his career. He hit 3 half centuries in 5 matches and was the Man of the Series. He seemed to enjoy playing against the West Indies as he scored 3 more half centuries in the home ODI series that followed and won the Man of the Series award again. However, a string of poor scores in the CB series in Australia and a horrible tour of Sri Lanka - where he scored 5,0,0,4 and 4 in 5 ODIs - tested the patience of Indian fans. Despite the failures, the team management and the selectors backed Rohit and made him open the innings in an ODI in Mohali against England, and the right hander responded with a well made 83.

The jury is still out on Rohit Sharma's future in Indian cricket. There are those who believe - with justification - that he ought not to be picked in the team until he puts in a year of solid domestic performances and exhibits the hunger that seems to be lacking. There are others who believe - with equal justification - that he is a rare batting talent whose growth needs to be fast-tracked into the national team.

by CricketBuzz.net - March 2013