Continuing his superlative from ODIs, Rohit Sharma brought the long-awaited wait for a Test hundred to an end as he scored his 9th century in the longest format of the game in the 1st Test against Australia in Nagpur. It was back in September 2021 that Rohit had last registered a triple-digit score, doing so against England at the Oval. The wait of one-and-a-half years came to an end as he reached the triple-digit score again on Day 2 of the Nagpur Test. In the process, he became the first Indian captain to score a ton in all three formats of the game.
When it comes to the global stars who have scored a century as captains in all three formats of the game, the likes of Babar Azam, Faf du Plessis and Tilakratne Dilshan are already there in the list. Rohit became the first Indian to join them.
Rohit has been scoring runs at good pace in the opening Test, having reached his half-century at a strike rate of over 80, ending Day 1 at a score of 56 off 69 balls. His strike-rate did come down on the second day as he reached his 9th hundred in the longest format of the game in 171 balls, but that was a result of wickets falling continuously at the other end of the pitch.
The happiness on the face of Rohit Sharma after reaching his century!
An innings to remember. pic.twitter.com/l8JrbeCrHT
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 10, 2023
The manner of his batting on Day 1 had impressed former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who said: “When Rohit Sharma batting, he won’t allow any bowler to settle. His form can dictate terms in this BGT, not just because of the runs he’ll get, but the pace at which he gets it. His record as an opening batsman is stunning”.
On Day 2, Rohit struggled to find a partner who will stick around for a long time. The likes of R Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav all departed without contributing much with the bat as Australian spinner Tod Murphy ran riot. Murphy bagged three more wickets on Day 2 by the time Rohit reached his triple-digit score. Nathan Lyon also bagged a solitary wicket, dismissing Suryakumar Yadav.
India, who had restricted Australia for just 177 runs in the first innings, didn’t show as much confidence with the bat as they had with the ball. Barring Rohit’s ton none of the batters really understood the nature of the pitch.
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