Rohit Sharma: Daughter's birth has put me in good space

India opener Rohit Sharma credits his dream run to newly-born baby Samaira

Manchester: There comes a moment in life from where you never look back. For Rohit Sharma, that happened when his daughter Samaira was born last December. It forced the Mumbai batsman to miss the fourth and final Sydney Test.

The limited overs opener returned for the ODI series against Australia at the venue of the final Test and scored a majestic 133 in the opening match. He has played 15 ODIs since then, scoring five half-centuries and two hundreds. Not to forget his record fourth IPL title for Mumbai Indians and his 405 runs to become the team's third highest run-getter.

He came into the World Cup with one his best centuries in the opening clash against South Africa. He followed it up with a 57 against Australia at The Oval. And, in the high-pressure clash against Pakistan on Sunday, Rohit's 140-run knock sent a packed Old Trafford into a frenzy.

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India opener Rohit Sharma en route his 140 against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Sunday

A perfect Father's Day gift

His innings coinciding with Father's Day couldn't have come at a better time. Rohit, who is enjoying every bit of fatherhood, credit his newly-attained status for his splendid run.

"I think it's just the space I am in right now. It's a very good phase in my life. Having a newly-born daughter in my life actually has put me in a good space. So, yeah, I think I'm enjoying my cricket, coming off a great IPL campaign and then starting off here. The focus was always on that, to start well, and then see where the team is heading and then the individual.

"As a team, we're heading in the right direction. For us, it is important to just keep ticking all the boxes, and I think, as a team, we have done that most of the time," said Rohit.

Rohit's form, a talking point

Rohit's approach in his three World Cup knocks so far has been the talking point. He has waited patiently before changing gears. Against South Africa, he dug deep to play a gritty, unbeaten 122 in challenging conditions in a low-scoring affair. He played second fiddle to Shikhar Dhawan during his 57-run knock against Australia. Against Pakistan, Rohit was instrumental in weathering Mohammad Amir's sensational opening spell of 4-1-8-0.

Rohit said he did not plan anything differently from his knock in Southampton v SA. "When you are playing in conditions that are going to challenge you, you had to assess the conditions first because the pitch was under the covers for a long time. The last two days we were here, the pitch was under the covers, and it was a little soft when we started. So, assessing was the crucial phase of the innings. The first phase of the innings was important for us, and not to lose wickets at that point was very crucial," he said.

875
No. of runs scored by Rohit in 16 ODIs this year

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