Rohit Sharma has been in impeccable form of late as he held the Australian charge at bay almost single-handedly until the late arrival of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, stitching together a slew of exquisite strokes that screamed class. On a surface where the ball was turning vehemently, the Indian batters had difficulties in getting their wheels rolling. However, Rohit led from the front and brought out the preceding Indian mentality of bossing spin and led the charge for the hosts.
Former Indian cricketer, Ravi Shastri was exhilarated about the Indian skipper’s return to form and almost zipped up the critics of the hard-hitting opener who entered an elite club with his century that saw him paralleling the likes of Babar Azam, Faf du Plessis and Tillakaratne Dilshan.
However, Shastri gave a total dissection of India’s domination on the second day of the game where he talked at length about Rohit’s early assertion followed by some picture-perfect resilience from two southpaws who arrived later down the order but being turners of the ball themselves, they placed and timed their innings to perfection.
Shastri told Star Sports, “I think that the partnership between Jadeja and Rohit came at the right time for India. I think they both realised the importance of that partnership. And you could see Rohit, even after getting to his hundred, it was as if he was taking fresh guard, and starting all over again. And Jadeja has improved over the years, he believes in himself and he is a useful contributor lower down the order whenever he is needed.” He further added, “It’s a tribute to his footwork, his temperament and skill. He has played with his wrists, played late and he is never coming hard at the ball. He has played with soft hands. A great example of how to bat on this pitch. Because of the time he has, he can play both spin and pace with good effect. And when he wants to hit, he can go big.”
