New Delhi: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma responded to his critics in style and brought an end to a 16-month-long century drought in ODIs with a splendid ton in the 2nd ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit revealed his secret mantra to regain form ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy 2025 that is set to get underway later this month.
Rohit slammed a blistering knock of 119 runs off 90 balls to help India chase down the target of 305 runs comfortably and thrash England by 4 wickets in the 2nd ODI to clinch the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. It was a much-needed big knock from the Indian skipper, who was under tremendous pressure amid a prolonged poor patch for India across formats.
Rohit had a disastrous tour of Australia where he managed only 36 runs in three Tests before being left out of the playing XI for the final 5th Test in Sydney. Rohit also flopped on his Ranji Trophy return for Mumbai and was dismissed cheaply on 2 in the series opener against England in Nagpur on Thursday. However, he responded to his critics in style with his blazing 119-run knock in the 2nd ODI on Sunday.
Following his Man of the Match performance in India’s 4-wicket win, Rohit opened up on how he worked on his batting to regain form. The Indian skipper revealed he had to break it down to pieces to ensure he accommodated well to the 50-over format and bat as deep as possible.
“It was good, really enjoyed being out there, scoring some runs for the team. Important game, series on the line. I broke it into pieces about how I wanted to bat. It’s a format that is longer than T20 cricket and a lot shorter than Tests. Still, you need to break it down, assess and bat according to the situation. I wanted to stay focused and bat as deep as possible,” Rohit said after the match.
The Indian skipper also revealed the England bowlers targeted him by bowling close to his body with the new ball but he had a plan for that as he focused on manoeuvring the field and finding the gaps to keep rotating the strike. The Indian skipper also credited Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer for their support.
“Looking at the pitch when you play on black soil, the pitch tends to skid on a bit so it’s important that you show the full face of the bat. Then they were trying to bowl into the body and not give room so I prepared my plan as well. I accessed the gaps and obviously, I got good support from Gill and then Shreyas,” Rohit added.
Rohit Sharma surpasses Rahul Dravid in elite list
While he earned himself a new lease of life with his blistering ton ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit also surpassed the legendary Rahul Dravid in an elite list with his 119-run knock. The Indian skipper overtook Dravid in the list of batters with the most runs in ODI history.
Rohit is now 10th on the elite list with 10987 runs in 267 ODIs at an average close to 50, including 32 centuries and 57 fifties. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar sits at the top with a whopping 18,426 runs in 463 matches at an average of 44.83, including 49 tons and 96 fifties.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed his ‘secret mantra’ as he returned to form with a blistering century in the 2nd ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
