Border Gavaskar Trophy: Australia players lauded Rohit Sharma after his century in a difficult Nagpur pitch. Rohit’s hundred kept the Indian team ahead of the curve in the 1st innings of the opening Test match.
Nagpur,UPDATED: Feb 10, 2023 15:34 IST
Rohit Sharma gets lauded by Australia players after century. (Courtesy: AP)
By India Today Web Desk: India captain Rohit Sharma made a brilliant century against Australia in the opening Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Rohit’s 120 helped India post a sizeable total in the 1st innings of the game in a difficult pitch at Nagpur.
On Day 2 of the first Test where debutant Todd Murphy posed a lot of questions for the India team, Rohit was the only batter in the top order that kept the scoreboard ticking.
The India opener scored his first Test century since 2021, when he took on Joe Root’s England in Chennai. Rohit’s innings was cut short by Australian captain Pat Cummins who struck right after the Tea Break. Cummins’ outswinger turned Rohit square and sent his off stump cartwheeling behind the crease. This happened on the next ball of Rohit getting dropped in the slip cordon by Steve Smith.
The Australian players patted Rohit Sharma on the shoulder after he got out and lauded his efforts in a pitch where batters found it difficult to score. Sharma, was the only batter to hit a century from the two teams, while Ravindra Jadeja (50*) and Marnus Labuschagne (49) were the rare ones to look comfortable in Nagpur.
Much was spoken about the Nagpur pitch ahead of the Test match, with former players speculating how sharply the pitch would turn. At the time when Australia batted in the first innings, the pitch did not offer square turn. The likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Alex Carey and Peter Handscomb found starts but failed to convert them in big totals.
“No, it (the pitch) is not a rank turner,” Jadeja had said in the press conference after the completion of Day 1. “It is slow and there is less bounce compared to other wickets. I felt defending was not very difficult today, but as the game progresses, it (defending) will become increasingly difficult. But that is the nature of Test cricket,” the batter had further added.
At the time of writing, India were 257/7 in 93 overs.
— ENDS —
