CHENNAI: January 23 is an important date in Rohit Sharma’s cricketing career. Ten years ago, it is exactly on this date his journey changed forever. Having been up and down the batting order, it was on January 23, 2013, he was made to open the batting and since then he hasn’t looked back.
In the decade since, he has amassed 28 hundreds, 7804 runs all while averaging 57.8. Safe to say, he is one of the greatest ODI openers of his generation. And in the last three years, he has transformed the success into the longest format as well. Yet, he had his share of struggles. Up until Tuesday, he had not scored a hundred in over three years and he was aware of it.
Rohit had said that he was not worried too much and why would he be when he was coming to a batting paradise to finish off the series. Tuesday’s ODI against New Zealand in Indore had all the makings for a Rohit special. And that is exactly what transpired. When the tourists put India into bat, Rohit (101) knew well what was expected of him and with his partner, Shubman Gill (112), he took charge from ball one.
The Indian skipper — a nonchalant striker of the ball — sent the Kiwi bowlers packing all across the Holkar Stadium as he cruised to his 30th ODI ton in just 83 deliveries. Such was his intent that he was dancing down the pitch to smash pacer Jacob Duffy into the stands.
Although he might not have converted that one into a double — it was a realistic possibility — that he is back, and scoring centuries is a massive boost for India in a World Cup year.
Brief scores: India 385/9 in 50 ovs (Gill 112, Rohit 101, Pandya 54) bt New Zealand 295 in 41.2 ovs (Conway 138; Thakur 3/45, Yadav 3/62).