Rohit Sharma has scored a lot of hundreds for India, but this will be a very special one. Maybe he has played better. In fact, he has. Been more dominant and in control. But given the circumstances and all that has transpired over the last three months, this hundred will give him a lot of satisfaction and also relief. As captain, he will now know that the dressing room stays with him and he isn’t a passenger. He will not have to take the tough call like he did in Sydney, and all of the murmurs have been put to rest for a while.
What was important was how Rohit grew in confidence as the innings went on. His first scoring shot was one where he wasn’t in control. The bat turned in his hands, and it was the shot of someone trying to hit his way out of a long lean patch. But thereafter, everything started to hit the middle of the bat and the skipper looked excellent all through the innings. He also had the luck needed when the umpire’s call went his way. Pulls, hooks, lofted on and off-drives – everything came out, and with each scoring shot, Indian fans heaved a sigh of relief.
His celebrations when he reached 50 were muted. He knew the job wasn’t done. Rather, he had got the start he had so desperately been after for months now, and he knew this was an opportunity to convert on a very good batting deck. Thankfully, he did. Rohit focused hard, and each time Mark Wood came into the attack, he stayed careful when playing the extra pace. In every way, it was an innings of quality. And when on 88, he hit the shot of the innings. Wood pitched the ball up, and it was the Rohit of old.
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He was on to the shot in a flash, and there was nothing indecisive about it. No more a cluttered mind. The reflexes were back, and the ball was just dismissed from his presence. All one needs to do is compare his hands in Cuttack with that of any of his innings in Australia, and the difference is noticeable. As he spent time in the middle, the movements were a shade faster and back to the Rohit of old.
The truth is this has always been Rohit’s favoured format. He knows this is his best opportunity, and with the hundred under his belt, he will now go into the Champions Trophy much more confident and in control. What this will also do is impact his captaincy. With runs coming, he will be far more decisive. In every sense, Cuttack has done everything it needed to for Rohit Sharma and India. Maybe someone visited Puri for him, and Lord Jagannath showered all his blessings on the Hitman.
Each one of us, Indian fans and analysts, wanted a final flourish. We have finally seen glimpses of it last night.
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