India’s veteran opening batsman Rohit Sharma was glad after his knock of 127 runs in the second innings of the Oval Test match helped the visitors in beating England by 157 runs on Monday.
The tourists were on the backfoot as England had taken a 99-run lead after the first innings and Rohit Sharma had to bat in the overcast conditions.
However, the experienced batsman once again showed patience in his approach as he negated the first hour of play. Rohit has shown all the resistance in the ongoing series and he was finally able to convert his start into a big score.
The right-hander showed trust in his defensive skills and backed his game to deliver the goods for the team. Rohit was able to bring his first overseas hundred when he smashed a six against Moeen Ali. This was Rohit’s eighth Test hundred and all of his centuries have come in the winning cause for the national team.
Rohit added 83 runs with KL Rahul and then added 154 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara for the second wicket. Thus, the Indian opener was able to set up the platform for the team and the visitors were able to post a massive score of 466 runs and took a lead of 367 runs to put their noses in front.
In fact, Rohit has a natural attacking game but he has been able to curb that and play according to the match situation. The Indian opener has respected the conditions and has given the first hour of play to the opposition’s bowlers, which is the key to success in England.
Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation, “I wanted to be on the field as much as I could. That hundred was special. We know how important was the second innings. Virat just mentioned the effort from the batsmen, and as a unit, it was really important. It’s my first overseas hundred. Really glad that I could get the team into an important position.
The three-figure mark wasn’t in my mind, we knew the pressure on the batting unit so we kept our heads down and batted the situation. Once we got the lead, we just wanted to put pressure on the bowlers. I try to contribute to the team, it’s important for me. I know the importance of opening the innings. I am glad I could make it count. It’s always important to embrace the challenge, it’s not going to be easy”.
The final and fifth Test match will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester from September 10.
