India, March 30 -- The moment Rohit Sharma struck the first of his six sixes last evening, something looked different about him. Of course, that he's lost weight and looks a lot leaner is no longer a secret. But this is a version of him the world hadn't witnessed in a long time, especially in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It took Rohit just one match to show glimpses of his strong past, when a 25-year-old him would grab the bull by its horns and go berserk. The type that saw him become the first player in history to smash three ODI double-centuries. That's how good Rohit was.

The effortless sixes, the timing, the running between the wickets, and clean striking were some of Rohit's standout features from last evening, when he belted 78...