Team India skipper Rohit Sharma achieved a huge feat on Day 2 of the first Test against Australia at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur on Friday (February 9). Rohit completed his 9th Test hundred and in the process became the first-ever cricketer to score hundreds in all three formats of the games as a player as well as a captain.
Rohit has centuries and even a double century as captain in ODIs, couple of hundreds in T20I and now a first-ever hundred as captain in Test cricket as well. The Indian opener completed his 9th ton off 170 deliveries, skipping down the track to Todd Murphy on 96 and hitting over the off-side to reach his century. The skipper now averages over 59 as an opener in Test cricket in India – the best-ever by any Indian opener.
WATCH India captain Rohit Sharma complete his century here…
Smiles, claps & appreciation all around! _ _
This has been a fine knock! _ _
Take a bow, captain @ImRo45 __
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— BCCI (@BCCI) February 10, 2023
Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma continued to wage a grim battle even as India lost the wickets of nightwatchman R Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara to move 26 runs adrift of Australia’s first innings score of 177 on the second day of the first Test of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Nagpur on Friday. At Lunch on the second day, India were 151/3 in 54 overs with Rohit Sharma batting on 85 and his predecessor Virat Kohli keeping him company with 12 runs.
However, the first-ball after lunch, Kohli was caught-behind down the leg-side for 12 off Todd Murphy. Debutant Suryakumar Yadav didn’t last long either, bowled by Nathan Lyon for 8 as India slumped to 168 for 5 after lunch on Day 2.
Rohit, who had started very aggressively on the first day, was quite circumspect on the second morning as he played cautiously building the Indian innings diligently. He shared a crucial 42-run partnership with Ashwin as they took India past the 100-run mark.
However, two quick wickets of Ashwin and Pujara were setbacks the Indians could have done without. Debutant off-spinner Todd Murphy claimed all three wickets to fall so far in the Indian innings so far. He had figures of 3-35 off 15 overs even as senior spinner Nathan Lyon is wicketless thus far from 20 overs. Ashwin, sent in as nightwatchman after KL Rahul was out in the penultimate over before stumps on Thursday, did his job well as he survived the first hour, helping skipper Rohit Sharma to keep the scoreboard ticking.
(with IANS inputs)
