The 209 off 158 balls on Saturday left his admirers, well-wishers and coaches gushing. "He always had the potential but it is only now that he is consistent. In the past 12 months, he has become a different player.
He looks more determined than ever. This knock reflects his mental and physical toughness. He has come of age," said former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar.
Being dropped from the World Cup squad more than two years ago was a setback from which Rohit knew he had to recover fast. "He slogged with me in the gym and transformed into a hard-working cricketer," recalls close friend and Mumbai teammate Abhishek Nayar.
Like Nayar, their former Mumbai Ranji coach Pravin Amre too was left amazed by the knock and believes this could be the turning point in his career. "He took that (being dropped from WC) positively.
He improved his fitness and became more mature and responsible. He does thrive on responsibility," said Amre. Leading the Mumbai Indians in the IPL too seems to have done wonders for Rohit.
A good player of fast bowling, Rohit found it easier to bat against the new ball. "Once he started opening, he changed his game quickly, which isn't easy. For someone who wanted to get off the blocks quickly, he started taking his time," said Amre.
A case in point is the unbeaten 141 he hit off 123 balls against the Aussies in Jaipur in the second ODI as India chased down 360. While Virat Kohli blasting his way to a record 52-ball ton, Rohit was content playing second fiddle.
The happiest of them all though is Rohit's long-time coach Dinesh Lad, who has known the batsman from his early teens.
"He was really depressed that time when he was dropped from the World Cup squad. But eventually that proved to be the best thing that happened to him. It made him focus on the game a lot more.
'I'll come back into the Indian team with a bang,' he told me. His game changed completely. He started capitalizing on his starts and became a different player," Lad told TOI.
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