<p>Jaipur: Rohit Sharma was doing <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=rohit%20sharma">Rohit Sharma</a> things on a balmy December afternoon.</p>.<p>He played the swivel pull, the effortlessly lofted six down the ground, and swept the pacers from Sikkim for a good measure, as 'Hitman' lovers in the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=Jaipur">Pink City</a> got the best present on Christmas Eve.</p>.Vijay Hazare Trophy gets star boost as Kohli, Rohit return to domestic circuit.<p>On a weekday, around 20,000-plus people from the city decided that the best thing to do was to watch the maestro in action — and that too for free.</p>.<p>His 37th List A hundred, a 155 off 93 balls, wasn't just about the quality. It was also about the entertainment quotient.</p>.<p>It resembled a concert where fans had come to watch their favourite singer belt out one chartbuster after another. It wasn't about the BCCI diktat, or proving anything to the national selectors, or a head coach who wants to "abolish star culture".</p>.<p>The day was all about a hero and his fans, and by the time they left the stadium, 18 fours and nine sixes from the former India skipper had more than satiated their appetite.</p>.<p>By 9 am, all roads led to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. On the morning of a working day, if 80 per cent of a stadium is full, you can understand why stars are so intrinsic to Indian cricket.</p>.<p>People skipped jobs, students bunked college, and Rajasthan Sports Council employees, who had the best view from the balconies of their building, didn't want to be left out either.</p>.<p>The now-familiar chants of "Mumbai chaa Rajaa Rohit Sharma" (Mumbai's King Rohit Sharma) reverberated across the stands as fans caught a glimpse of the star.</p>.<p>Once the crowd came to know that Mumbai were fielding, a few thousand left with a prayer on their lips that Sikkim would show enough batting firepower to allow them to watch their hero bat to their heart's content.</p>.<p>Then there were the aggressive Rohit loyalists who started shouting, "Gambhir kidhar hai, dekh raha hai na?" (Gautam Gambhir, where are you, are you watching, right?).</p>.<p>It could also well have been directed at national selector R.P. Singh, who was sitting near the boundary line.</p>.<p>Used to adulation for the longest time, the former India captain merely raised his hand to acknowledge his fans.</p>.<p>Once news spread that Sikkim had scored a decent 236 for seven, the atmosphere changed. There were no empty seats across three stands, save the one above the dressing room, which was closed for security reasons.</p>.<p>There were also enough people willing to put their bones and joints at risk, sitting precariously on the edge of the terrace atop the Sports Council building.</p>.<p>They didn't care if Angkrish Raghuvanshi existed — every dot ball he played was met with boos.</p>.<p>But once Rohit hit his first pick-up swivel pull behind square off Kranthi Kumar, the decibel levels rose.</p>.<p>Truth be told, Sikkim's bowlers — Kranthi, Palzor and left-arm spinner Gurinder — were overawed and lacked quality.</p>.<p>There were too many half-trackers. In fact, Rohit went down on one knee and swept seamer Palzor behind square. There were two catches dropped, but who cared? Rohit knew the quality of the attack and his 62-ball century and 91-ball 150 were followed by a fleeting moment of bat-raising.</p>.<p>Finally, Kranthi Kumar's wide delivery found the edge of his bat. It was a tired-looking shot. But there had been enough entertainment on a working day, and fans began to vacate the stands thereafter.</p>.<p>The Hitman carnival was over for the day, but not before another customised Rohit Sharma rhyme echoed across the venue: "Dal Baati Choorma, Rohit Sharma Soorma." The 'Soorma' (master) will have another concert on Friday, and it promises to be another houseful. </p>
<p>Jaipur: Rohit Sharma was doing <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=rohit%20sharma">Rohit Sharma</a> things on a balmy December afternoon.</p>.<p>He played the swivel pull, the effortlessly lofted six down the ground, and swept the pacers from Sikkim for a good measure, as 'Hitman' lovers in the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/search?q=Jaipur">Pink City</a> got the best present on Christmas Eve.</p>.Vijay Hazare Trophy gets star boost as Kohli, Rohit return to domestic circuit.<p>On a weekday, around 20,000-plus people from the city decided that the best thing to do was to watch the maestro in action — and that too for free.</p>.<p>His 37th List A hundred, a 155 off 93 balls, wasn't just about the quality. It was also about the entertainment quotient.</p>.<p>It resembled a concert where fans had come to watch their favourite singer belt out one chartbuster after another. It wasn't about the BCCI diktat, or proving anything to the national selectors, or a head coach who wants to "abolish star culture".</p>.<p>The day was all about a hero and his fans, and by the time they left the stadium, 18 fours and nine sixes from the former India skipper had more than satiated their appetite.</p>.<p>By 9 am, all roads led to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. On the morning of a working day, if 80 per cent of a stadium is full, you can understand why stars are so intrinsic to Indian cricket.</p>.<p>People skipped jobs, students bunked college, and Rajasthan Sports Council employees, who had the best view from the balconies of their building, didn't want to be left out either.</p>.<p>The now-familiar chants of "Mumbai chaa Rajaa Rohit Sharma" (Mumbai's King Rohit Sharma) reverberated across the stands as fans caught a glimpse of the star.</p>.<p>Once the crowd came to know that Mumbai were fielding, a few thousand left with a prayer on their lips that Sikkim would show enough batting firepower to allow them to watch their hero bat to their heart's content.</p>.<p>Then there were the aggressive Rohit loyalists who started shouting, "Gambhir kidhar hai, dekh raha hai na?" (Gautam Gambhir, where are you, are you watching, right?).</p>.<p>It could also well have been directed at national selector R.P. Singh, who was sitting near the boundary line.</p>.<p>Used to adulation for the longest time, the former India captain merely raised his hand to acknowledge his fans.</p>.<p>Once news spread that Sikkim had scored a decent 236 for seven, the atmosphere changed. There were no empty seats across three stands, save the one above the dressing room, which was closed for security reasons.</p>.<p>There were also enough people willing to put their bones and joints at risk, sitting precariously on the edge of the terrace atop the Sports Council building.</p>.<p>They didn't care if Angkrish Raghuvanshi existed — every dot ball he played was met with boos.</p>.<p>But once Rohit hit his first pick-up swivel pull behind square off Kranthi Kumar, the decibel levels rose.</p>.<p>Truth be told, Sikkim's bowlers — Kranthi, Palzor and left-arm spinner Gurinder — were overawed and lacked quality.</p>.<p>There were too many half-trackers. In fact, Rohit went down on one knee and swept seamer Palzor behind square. There were two catches dropped, but who cared? Rohit knew the quality of the attack and his 62-ball century and 91-ball 150 were followed by a fleeting moment of bat-raising.</p>.<p>Finally, Kranthi Kumar's wide delivery found the edge of his bat. It was a tired-looking shot. But there had been enough entertainment on a working day, and fans began to vacate the stands thereafter.</p>.<p>The Hitman carnival was over for the day, but not before another customised Rohit Sharma rhyme echoed across the venue: "Dal Baati Choorma, Rohit Sharma Soorma." The 'Soorma' (master) will have another concert on Friday, and it promises to be another houseful. </p>