On this day in 2021: Rohit’s masterful 161 headlines India’s Chepauk triumph
Indian captain Rohit Sharma ended his century drought during India’s third ODI match against New Zealand on January 24. He continued that momentum in the following game, his first Test match against Australia in Nagpur on February 2. And added another century. With his latest hundred, Rohit became the first-ever cricketer to score a century across all three formats both as a player and captain.
The 35-year-old right-handed opener has scored two centuries and three hundreds in his last eight innings, which suggests that he is back to his best. Rohit is closing on the 10000-run mark in ODIs and will go down as one of the best openers in white-ball cricket.
However, Rohit has managed to score just 3257 runs from 46 Tests at an impressive average of 47.20. Considering his age, he is unlikely to make big records in red-ball cricket. But there is no shortage of memorable knocks from Rohit in Test cricket.
One of his most impactful innings in Test came during the second Test of England tour of India at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, exactly two years ago, February 16, 2021.
After losing the first Test by 227 runs, the Indian team was under a lot of pressure going into the second Test. Captain Virat Kohli won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first. Olly Stone gave England a great start by dismissing Shubman Gill on a duck with no run on the scoreboard.
Rohit leads from the front
India lost Kohli on a duck and Pujara on just 21 runs but Rohit took it upon himself to carry the team out of a difficult situation. He pulled off a 162-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane for the fourth wicket with an impressive hundred.
Rohit scored 161 off 231 with 18 fours and two sixes before getting caught out on Jack Leach’s delivery. Rohit’s knock was a treat as other batters struggled against spin on Chennai’s pitch. He looked determined and focused throughout his innings. He showcased his ability to score impactful knocks in red-ball cricket as well.
Indian team collapsed on just 329 with Rohit scoring almost half the runs. However, Ravichandran Ashwin’s five-wicket spell in the first innings and a century in the second innings helped India register a big 317-win to level a series.
