'The thing I like best is when he crosses 50, he moves on to a 100, and then he's thinking of 150, and even 200.'
Young Pakistan batsman Haider Ali wants to hit the ball as clean as his inspiration Rohit Sharma does and emulate the Indian limited-overs vice-captain in scoring double hundreds frequently.
Ali, who rose to prominence with his exploits in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, has got his maiden national call-up for the tour of England.
"As far as role models are concerned, mine is Rohit Sharma. I really like him as a player, and want to give the side an aggressive start at the top, and hit the ball cleanly like him. He is a man for all three formats, and he can adapt his game to all three formats," said Ali in an online media interaction.
"And the thing I like best is when he crosses 50, he moves on to a 100, and then he's thinking of 150, and even 200. That's what I want to do: to think about getting big scores, and when I get there, aim for even bigger ones. He finishes the game off for his side, and is a real match-winner," said the 19-year-old Attock-born player.
Ali has played seven first-class games and scored a hundred in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final, Pakistan's premier domestic event. With his string of impressive performances at the domestic and Pakistan U-19 level, Ali is seen as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket. He has also landed a PSL contract.
Ali is excited about picking brains of Younish Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan batting and head coach respectively.
"I always wanted to play under the coaching of Younis Khan, and I'm glad I will get the opportunity this time. I want to learn as much as possible from this tour and ask lots of questions of both Younis and Misbah.
"I want to learn how to play all three formats and what mindset to approach all three formats with. I'm very excited about how much I can grow over these next three months," he said.
