Rohit Sharma silenced his critics with his brilliant century in the third and final ODI match between India and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. He achieved this feat in 84 balls and kept India in the run chase.
Rohit started the innings on a positive note as the ball was in the middle of his bat. After scoring the century, he broke several records as he became the first Indian batsman to score an ODI century at the prestigious venue, surpassing the previous record held by former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly.
How was Rohit Sharma’s performance in Lord’s ODI against England?
Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill performed well after England posted a huge score of 388 runs on the board. Rohit looked in good touch and played his regular shots during the innings and the two openers added 146 runs for the first wicket.
Rohit Sharma completed his half-century in 50 balls; This was his 63rd half-century and he looked in great touch as he continued to score runs after the half-century and scored his 34th century in the most important match for the Men in Blue.
After the century, Rohit is now the batsman who has scored the most centuries by any guest batsman in ODIs in England. He now has 8 centuries to his name and has also become the oldest Indian batsman to score a century across all formats and Lord’s.
Why was Lord’s ODI surrounded by speculations about farewell?
Unusual attention was paid to the third and final ODI between India and England at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London amid growing speculation over Rohit Sharma’s ODI future.
Reports that emerged during the second ODI claimed that a section of the BCCI selection committee was not in favor of Rohit continuing in the 50-over format. It was further reported that the selectors wanted to give Yashasvi Jaiswal an extended opportunity in the ODI setup keeping the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind.
As speculations gained momentum, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devjit Saikia dismissed the reports.
Speaking to PTI, Saikia said no decision has been taken regarding Rohit’s ODI future and dismissed claims of plans for immediate retirement or removal of the former Indian captain. Meanwhile, news also came that Rohit wants to continue playing ODI cricket after improving his fitness.
What does Rohit’s Lord’s innings mean in terms of India’s ODI future?
As soon as Rohit Sharma scored a century on Sunday, he answered all the questions that were being raised in the last few days.
Many more to follow…