Star batsman Rohit Sharma said he knew the opening player role was his last chance to succeed in tests and he was ready to count it when the responsibility came upon him in 2019. Rohit completed his first overseas Test on Saturday as he led India’s bat setback in the 2nd inning of the ongoing 4th Test between England and India at the Oval in London.
Rohit Sharma hit 127 and dumped 256 balls in the middle as he helped India wipe England’s first inning lead of 99 runs. Rohit sewed an 83-run stand with his other opener KL Rahul, whereupon he put on 153 for the 2nd wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara.
England vs. India, 4th test day 3: highlights
Rohit, who has shown tremendous composure as the opener in the ongoing 5 Test series in England, scored his 7th hundred, his first in his first series as Test Opener in England.
A first class inning from a high class player. Bow #RohitSharma .
Might well be a series that defines innings.
Come on, let’s get a big head start. pic.twitter.com/2M48YepWO2– VVS Laxman (@ VVSLaxman281) September 4, 2021
Rohit admitted that he did not run well in medium-order tests and he knew he had to make the most of the opportunity to open the innings for India. However, Rohit claimed he wasn’t surprised when asked to open as such a move was discussed in the dressing room long before he took that role in a 2019 home series against South Africa.
Rohit made his test debut in 2013, averaging 39.62 before taking on the role of the opener in November 2019. Since he got to the top of the batting order, he has averaged over 58 and 5 hundred.
“In the back of my mind, I knew that this was the last chance (testing) for me to try another position in the batting order. When I got the offer to start the batting team, I was very aware of it because the conversations happened at some point within of management, “said Rohit after his Oval Hundred.
“It was my feeling. I thought getting the opportunity in 2019 would be my last chance. I don’t know what the team leader thought. The team leader told me that if you open the drums, you have a long term. But I wanted to think that was it, I wanted to take the opportunity, I had to do everything for it.
“I was mentally prepared and ready to take on this challenge and see how I can do the order well. I hit in the middle before, things didn’t go the way I wanted them to. I knew it was going to be be my last chance to try everything management thinks.
“When you do a sport, you have to take risks and opportunities. I would say I was very ready for it. It didn’t come as a surprise to me. “
Spending more time in the middle is my biggest souvenir: Rohit
Rohit has looked solid against some high quality fast bowling in the ongoing test series and the India opener said he worked hard to instill the discipline required to play the red ball. The runner-up with limited overs added that spending time in the middle is the most satisfying achievement for him in the England Tests to date.
“One-day cricket and test cricket, there’s a big difference between the two. You have to bring a lot into your game, especially discipline. That’s what I’ve been focusing on off the field.
“Discipline is something I wanted to bring to my shots when I was on the net, whether it was getting off the ball or playing a solid defense.
“The most gratifying thing is that I got 250 balls. If you look at all of the friendly matches we’ve played, I’ve played almost 100 balls in each inning. That was my goal.
“I wanted to see how I could stay on the pitch for as long as possible because you know that when you spend time in the middle, things get easier. Spending time in the middle has been the biggest asset for me.” , he added.
India went to Stumps by a margin of 171 runs on day three of the Oval Test. Captain Virat Kohli remained undefeated with Ravindra Jadeja (9) with 22, while India finished with 270 for 3.
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