India vs England: On a tough pitch, Rohit Sharma proves how special a player he is

When one thinks of Rohit Sharma, one thinks of stylish strokeplay. He has almost every shot in the book and the will to play it too. But day one of the second Test against England wasn’t just about flair, for it showcased the full scope of his versatility as a batsman.

Almost every commentator spoke about how Rohit was making batting look easy on a tough pitch. And they weren’t wrong.

On a pitch that saw two of India’s top four batters – opener Shubman Gill and captain Virat Kohli – get out for ducks, Rohit’s knock of 161 runs from 231 balls was worth its weight in gold.

In India’s second innings of the first Test, Rohit saw his off-stump knocked back by a superb delivery from Jack Leach that was angled in and turned away sharply. There wasn’t much the right-hander did wrong but scores of 6 and 12 in a 227-run defeat would’ve weighed on him.

However, as all good batsmen do, Rohit put the failures behind him and backed his skills when he came to the crease on Saturday. There were no lingering doubts whatsoever. And by the time he was dismissed in the 73rd over of the day, his team was in the driver’s seat.

The pitch at the Chepauk, which raised several questions, tested the batsmen from the get-go. The bounce was even but the softness of the surface and the puffs of dust it generated meant the ball was coming on to the bat slowly.

But Rohit decided to trust the bounce. The first delivery of the day saw him push the ball off the back-foot and away from his body. He followed that up with a forward defence on the rise, well outside off-stump. There were nervous moments too, like the time he checked his drive in the seventh over and just about managed to clear mid-on for four. But he was determined to not throw away his wicket.

Essentially, there were three phases to Rohit’s innings on Saturday. The first 20 overs of the day saw him hit some glorious shots for boundaries. Despite seeing Gill walk back in the second over, he played to his strengths with an uncluttered mind. If it was pitched full, he would drive it with authority. If it was wide, he would cut it ferociously. Bang it in short and he would bring out the trademark pull. In what was perhaps the best period to bat, he did his team a big favour by punishing the loose balls and keeping the scoreboard ticking.

But then came a seven-ball spell that saw England dismiss India’s two most established batsmen in the longest format – Cheteshwar Puraja and Kohli. The India No 3 paid the price for poking hard at a delivery, before the skipper had his stumps rattled after attempting an expansive, inexplicable drive without getting anywhere near the pitch of the ball.

India were in a serious spot of bother at that time. They ran the risk of suffering another collapse and the need of the hour was a big partnership. And they got just that with Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane (67 off 149) coming together to add 162 runs for the fourth wicket.

After playing freely for the first hour or so, Rohit switched gears for the team’s cause and that was perhaps the most impressive aspect of his innings. He defended with a straight bat, kept out one good ball after another, and applied himself to help India gain momentum once again.

The 38th over of the innings offered a true reflection of Rohit’s time at the crease. Moeen Ali was asking some tough questions at that time and the off-spinner bowled four consecutive dot balls to Rohit. But the fifth ball of the over saw the right-hander dance down the track and thump it for six over long-off. And after that, the over was finished off with a watertight forward defence with a giant stride out. Rohit had soaked in the pressure being created, punched back by taking a calculated risk, before putting his head down again.

Rohit’s handling of Moeen, in fact, played a key role in India’s success on Saturday. The off-spinner, who has played 60 Tests, had his tail up after removing Kohli. It was a wonderful delivery that pitched perfectly in the rough and turned sharply to sneak through the gate. But he wasn’t allowed to stick to that spot from there on as Rohit used his feet smartly to find the gaps.

On a turning track, Moeen had leaked 94 runs in his first 20 overs. India would’ve found the going tough had England’s senior-most spinner settled in his stride but Rohit didn’t allow that to happen. It eventually led to his undoing but Rohit used the sweep shot effectively and scored 29 runs through it.

Finally, once the partnership with Rahane started to flow, Rohit settled into a nice rhythm and went on to convert his century into a big score, as he so often has in his career. There was no rush of blood and he simply relied on his natural game to move his team forward.

“Rohit was confident from the first ball. The intent he showed was great. To get a score of 150-plus on such a pitch is a top effort,” said Rahane at the end of day’s play.

He may have missed out on a double but Rohit’s effort laid a solid foundation for his team to level the four-match series. The pitch showed signs of breaking up on day one itself and as Kohli said at the toss, it is likely to do a lot for spinners in the coming days. India ended the opening day with 300 invaluable runs on the board and they have Rohit’s finest Test knock to thank for that.