India captain Rohit Sharma roared back to form with a gritty century against England on Day 1 of the third Test in Rajkot. The India captain got to his 11th Test century and the third against England with a couple off leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed in the first over after the Tea break on Thursday. It took Rohit 157 balls to reach the landmark, as he added to his knocks of 161 in Chennai and 127 at The Oval against England in 2021.
Rohit stood tall like a rock even as his team was in all sorts of trouble after a top-order collapse in the first 45 minutes of the match. India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for 10, Shubman Gill for duck and Rajat Patidar for 15 with Mark Wood and Tom Hartley making early in-roads, but Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja put on a much-needed century-run partnership to bail India out of trouble and to a certain extent, put their team on top.
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During his innings, Rohit achieved a pretty special milestone when he surpassed MS Dhoni in the list of most sixes struck by an Indian in Tests. Rohit’s six tally read 77 before he smashed the first maximum of the match – off Root – to tie Dhoni and then and then did one better he welcomed Root back into the attack with one more hit over the ropes, thus taking him to 79 sixes. Rohit is now only behind Virender Sehwag, who sits at the top with 91 sixes.
Rohit Sharma rides his luck
Rohit was batting on 27 when Root put him down at first slip. Rohit tried to launch Hartley, but got a little faint as the ball flew to the former England captain. He put in the dive, got his hands in the right trajectory but couldn’t hold on to it. The India skipper also earned a reprieve when he successfully reviewed an LBW call against him. Anderson had Rohit pinned on the crease in the 15th over as the ball rapped on the pads, but Rohit knew he had inside edged it, confirmed by the replay on the giant screen.
India, from 33/3, recovered brilliantly as Rohit and Jadeja paved the way with brilliant half-centuries. The first hour was attritional for India as Rohit was worked up by Wood’s pace and James Anderson’s accuracy. Rohit struggled at first, even copping a blow to his helmet, but it was almost as if it woke the India captain up. As the ball became old and the surface got better for batting, Rohit took charge.
With Jadeja, who came to bat at No. 5 ahead of Sarfaraz Khan, trying to get his eye in, the skipper held up his end, as the two milked runs and enhanced the partnership. The fact that Rohit reached his half-century off 71 deliveries and Jadeja in 97 testifies how tough batting was. But while it wasn’t the most fluent Rohit innings, he pulled India out of their first-innings mess.
