2nd ODI: After Perth setback, Rohit redeems himself in Adelaide

Adelaide: Rohit Sharma silenced his critics in style as he notched up a confidence-boosting 73 against Australia in the second ODI here at the Adelaide Oval. The former skipper’s knock came after India faced early setbacks in the form of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli’s early dismissals.

The veteran cricketer faced criticisms after managing to score just eight runs off the 14 deliveries he faced in the first ODI in Perth. The critical statements continued when the 37-year-old opened the innings for India in the second ODI, as it took him 28 balls to get to the exact figures this time.

However, from 8 (28) at one point in the game, Rohit made every ball count to end up with 73 runs to his name off 97 deliveries, his slowest ODI fifty. He unleashed a flurry of boundaries and also hit his iconic pull shot as the crowd at Adelaide cheered him on.

Rohit’s knock included seven fours and a couple of sixes as he set the tone for the middle-order batters. With that, he became the first Asian batter to hit 150 sixes in SENA nations.

He then added a few more feathers to his already illustrious cap as he became the first Indian cricketer to score 1000 runs in Australia, against Australia, in ODIs (excluding World Cup games). In the process, he surpassed former skipper Sourav Ganguly (11221) to become the third-highest run getter from India in ODI with 11249* runs.

Furthermore, after his 73-run knock, Rohit is now fourth in the list of opening batters with the most runs in ODIs, having surpassed batting legends Ganguly and Adam Gilchrist.

Rohit’s second-wicket partnership with Kohli, which lasted for just four balls, was the 100th time that the duo batted together in ODIs. In 100 innings, the batting veterans have so far shared 5315 runs.

Rohit’s innings at the Adelaide Oval will be memorable for him and many others as the opener looked to have found his mojo back. He will be expected to carry a similar form when the two sides face off in the third and final ODI of the series on Saturday at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

IANS