Cuttack: When Rohit Sharma showcases his exceptional skills, the essence of competition in cricket diminishes. This observation serves as a reminder of the additional time he possesses over his peers regarding shot selection. It highlights the unwavering concentration that even a near half-hour interruption due to floodlight failure could not disrupt. His repertoire of expansive strokes is evident, as he skillfully targets every area of the field. There exists a significant disparity in both class and mentality between him and the other batsmen in India.

At his most relaxed, Rohit remains remarkably effective, eliciting excitement from the crowd each time he performs. Chasing a target of 304 runs is a formidable task, yet the captain set the tone with an outstanding century—his 32nd in One Day Internationals—leading the hosts to a four-wicket victory against England in the second ODI on Sunday.

England made a commendable effort, although they likely fell short of a competitive score by at least 20 runs. Each of their top seven batsmen made contributions, with two of them, Ben Duckett and Joe Root, reaching half-centuries. However, the dismissals of Jos Buttler and Root within a span of four overs initiated a collapse, resulting in England losing their final seven wickets for just 85 runs.

The intention to stabilize their innings was clear, yet hesitant running in the latter stages hampered England's scoring in a match they needed to win to remain in contention in the three-match series. Duckett was the primary aggressor early on, employing an array of sweeps and reverse sweeps until he mistimed a slog sweep off Ravindra Jadeja in the 16th over.

In his debut match, Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Phil Salt, but Joe Root settled in to contribute 51 runs alongside Jos Buttler before Buttler was unable to clear mid-off. Root followed shortly after, nearly offering a catch to Virat Kohli, who was positioned deep, leaving England somewhat directionless as the innings approached its conclusion. Liam Livingstone remained at the crease, guiding his team through a difficult period where the batters struggled to accumulate runs. He struck two sixes, while Adil Rashid hit three fours, enabling England to surpass the 300-run mark.

As the day progressed, the significance of those runs diminished, as Rohit Sharma once again launched a formidable assault on the English bowlers, this time with a strategic approach. “I broke it down into segments regarding how I wanted to bat,” he stated post-match. “It was longer than T20s but shorter than Tests, and I aimed to dissect it. My focus was to bat as deep as possible.”

Rohit remained true to his instincts. Gus Atkinson attempted to bowl challenging deliveries, but Rohit advanced and edged the ball over backward point for four runs. When Atkinson bowled a fuller length, Rohit stayed back and flicked the ball off his toes for a six. Saqib Mahmood, targeting the off-stump, made an error by pitching fuller, allowing Rohit to lean in and execute a powerful six-over cover into the crowd.

With Mark Wood bowling at a quicker pace and shorter length, Rohit nearly edged a nudge but quickly adapted. Wood then delivered a fuller ball, prompting Rohit to stay low and send it soaring over long-on for an impressive six. Even more audacious was the four he struck off Wood in the subsequent over, bowled at over 140 kph, as Rohit charged down the pitch and smashed it through mid-off. Whether facing pace or spin, Rohit was resolute in his intent, even against Adil Rashid’s leg-spin, waiting for the turn and cutting the ball past point to bring up his fifty.

After a certain point, the significance of both the target and Rohit’s score diminished, overshadowed by the relentless barrage of runs. Shubman Gill reached his fifty, yet the overwhelming display of aggression from India’s captain rendered this achievement almost inconsequential. This highlights the disruptive nature of Rohit’s batting and underscores what India has been lacking recently. His timing was occasionally off, with his head not always positioned over the ball and his feet lagging behind the shot at times; however, the compilation of his remarkable strokes was a sight to behold. The shot that brought up his century was particularly impressive, as he advanced down the pitch to Rashid and sent the ball soaring over long-off for six.

Had Rashid not taken a challenging catch in the 30th over, Rohit might have concluded the match within another ten overs. This interruption forced him to reset, resulting in India losing both momentum and wickets. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel were progressing well until Iyer ventured too far down the pitch, despite Patel declining the run. KL Rahul was dismissed behind the stumps while attempting to pull a short delivery, and Hardik Pandya was caught at deep square leg while trying to attack Atkinson. Nevertheless, Patel remained resolute alongside Jadeja, ensuring that India did not falter again for the remainder of the chase.

Read Also: BCCI Faces Criticism After Floodlight Failure During India-England ODI

Get the latest Bollywood entertainment news, trending celebrity news, latest celebrity news, new movie reviews, latest entertainment news, latest Bollywood news, and Bollywood celebrity fashion & style updates!

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!