Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja has told that Rohit Sharma increased his game a notch higher in India’s second innings of the Sydney Test by grinding it out in the middle when the Australian bowlers were having the above hand in the work.
Rohit Sharma scored 52 runs in India’s second essay and shared a 71-run opening along with Shubman Gill. This was the first time since 1968 that an Indian opening pair sharing half-century partnerships in both innings of a Test match in Australia.
1st Inning – 70 runs
2nd Inning – 57 runs*For 1st time, In Last 50 Years
Indian Opening pair Scored 50+ partnership in both innings in Australia#AUSvsIND
— CricBeat (@Cric_beat) January 10, 2021
While reviewing the fourth day’s play on the Sony Sports network, Ajay Jadeja and Mohammad Kaif sharing their views with Rohit Sharma’s knock and his early release a few minutes before the close of play.
Jadeja lauded Rohit Sharma for showing the talent to play the waiting game during his knock when the Australian bowlers were in the control. He said in this respect:
“Whenever you see his innings, you get enjoyment. He plays like an artist, and shot-making is easy for him. But the patience and perseverance he showed today were praiseworthy. The way he approached his innings because there was a stage between the 18th and 24th over when the bowlers were on top, so you had to put in the effort at that time.”
Ajay Jadeja observed that Rohit Sharma had shown a new side of his game during his knock on the 4th day of the Sydney Test.
“You don’t see that from Rohit Sharma because he generally destroys the opposition. He took his game one level higher today, according to me, because daily you see a player if he has added anything. So, I liked a lot what we saw from Rohit Sharma today,” observed Ajay Jadeja
Rohit Sharma scores 78 runs in the first two innings as an opener overseas. It was never easy after coming from a hamstring injury, but he showed good resilience in the middle.
Well played, Hitman. pic.twitter.com/1uc5rY5Pev
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 10, 2021
Mohammad Kaif noted Rohit Sharma’s ability to take the attack to the resistance and said that India would have stood a chance to win the Sydney Test had he continued put at the crease.
“Rohit Sharma was playing well defensively in any case, but he can play the big shots as well whenever required. The Indian hopes would have remained alive till the time he was there. The way he plays in T20s and ODIs, he knows how to accelerate the scoring,” Kaif said.
Kaif saying lastly that Rohit Sharma dismissal caused him massive disappointing, as the final day’s play would have been a fun affair if he had stayed around.
“But he’s getting out gave me heartache because I wanted the match to remain 50-50. If Rohit Sharma had remained unbeaten today, we would have enjoyed a lot tomorrow,” concluded Mohammad Kaif.
"It was a bit of a relief for us to see Rohit Sharma out there in the end, that’s a huge wicket for us because we know he’s a world class player. We know he’s one of the all-time great one-day players so if he was out there, he’s going to keep scoring quickly". – Justin Langer pic.twitter.com/OIE2ofDTGM
— Rohit Sharma Trends™ (@TrendsRohit) January 10, 2021