ICC U19 World Cup | Rohit Sharma is my role model, reveals Haider Ali
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Teenage opener Haider Ali, who’s currently representing Pakistan in the ongoing U19 World Cup, has revealed that he aspires to bat like Rohit Sharma, labelling the Indian as his role model. Haider further revealed that his ultimate aim was to impress the selectors in the ongoing U19 championships.
There once was a time, back in early 2013, when Rohit Sharma’s career was headed towards an early end, with the then middle-order batsman not doing justice to his talent despite having appeared in over a 100 ODIs for the country. However, a masterstroke from former skipper MS Dhoni, promoting Rohit to the position of opener, helped turned the 32-year-old’s career around, with the Mumbaikar then going on to establish himself as one of the best to ever grace the game.Â
And now, the opener has, evidently, started inspiring the upcoming generation of cricketers with his nonchalant style of batting. Haider Ali, the opener for Pakistan’s Under-19 side in the ongoing U19 World Cup, has revealed that he idolizes Rohit Sharma and aspire to emulate the Indian opener’s aggressive style of batting.
“My role model is Rohit Sharma, I want to be a batsman like him. He bats so bravely and confidently, I want to emulate his style of batting,” Haider told Geo Sports, reported Hindustan Times.
“Of course, scoring a double century in one day cricket is my dream. My aim is to score as big as possible. As an opener, I try to score big so that team can get a solid start,” the youngster added.
Haider made his debut for his state side Northern (Pakistan) at just 18 years of age and has thus far had a wonderful start to his first-class career, averaging close to 50 having played seven matches. The youngster reveled in on his incredible start to his career, which included a 99 on debut, and attested that he was satisfied with his performance, a season where he scored 645 runs.
“I scored 99 on my debut, then scored century in the final of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and that performance boosted my confidence. I was aiming to score around 800 runs in the season and I was almost near to my target as I played just seven games,” he added.
Having helped his side reach the quarter-final, Haider’s focus will now be on Pakistan’s game against Afghanistan on Friday, one where he’ll be hoping to catapult his side into the semi-finals. The 19-year-old stated that he was confident that his side will continue their good run of form, and attested that his ultimate aim was to impress the selectors through his performances in the ongoing U19 World Cup.
“We have got ample time to prepare for the knock-out match. I am confident that we’ll continue our march in the tournament,” Haider said of his side’s chances in the quarter-final.
“The tournament provides us a great opportunity to show our skills and cement a place in Pakistan squad. I am looking forward to getting the maximum advantage from this platform of U19 cricket, prove myself, and get selected for Pakistan (senior) team,” the youngster concluded.Â
