On the first day of the third Test, India’s batting finally came together but not without an early alarm. Down at 33 for 3 on a pitch that was full of runs and with two debutants to follow, India were looking at possible trouble. But a 204-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja for the fourth wicket India’s first century stand of the series took them to 326 for 5 at stumps. Rohit Sharma and Jadeja got centuries while Sarfaraz Khan made a sparkling debut, hitting 62 off 66, before being run-out.
This was the first time since 1999 that India had three players in the top seven who had played fewer than two Tests. That in mind, Mark Wood gave England a leg-up when he got rid of Yashaswi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill – India’s only centurions this series before Thursday- with the new ball.
Gill, in particular, got a ball that swung in and then nipped away, that took the outside edge. These two scalps doubled Wood’s tally of wickets in the first six overs of a Test innings and it was upto skipper Rohit Sharma to rise up the occasion and bail India out of trouble on a batting surface at Rajkot from a precarious situation and the captain just did that.
The early-morning moisture that had assisted Wood possibly helped Tom Hartley grip one in his ninth over, which took the front edge from Rajat Patidar. A day before the Test, Jadeja had said England were not a difficult side to beat. The team management asked him to go out and demonstrate it from No. 5 in the ninth over, the second-earliest he has walked in to bat in a Test innings, and the earliest in the first innings.
A promotion to Jadeja made double sense: protect the debutant Sarfaraz and also introduce a left-hand batter. Coming back from possibly the first time he has missed a Test with a hamstring injury, and having to deal with a family dispute gone public, Jadeja would have been excused for having a lot on his mind when he joined Rohit, but he batted with the most unencumbered mind: just purely reacting to the next ball in an old-school fashion.
Rohit Sharma’s gigantic 131 puts India into charge at Rajkot on Day 1
Rohit Sharma on the back of poor outing in tests as batter since the South Africa series had only 1 half century to his name . Even before the start of 3rd test at Rajkot , Rohit’s performance in absence of talismanic Virat Kohli was not up-to the mark and it was evident in the most important match with a new setup especially in batting line up , Indian skipper Rohit Sharma rises up to the challenge.
Rohit, who had got off to a smashing start, had to do unconventional things at the start of the partnership. Wood tried to bounce him with a fine leg, a deep backward square leg and a deep forward square leg. For once, looking at the score and the situation, he decided not to hook and had to wear one in his helmet grille.
He charged at James Anderson to cut down the movement, on one occasion chipping one just out of mid-on’s reach. With Hartley, he flicked in the air and against the turn. The first attempt brought four, the second an edge to slip, which Joe Root dropped.
Rohit will argue this was just the luck he needed after the lack of it in the first two Tests. By then, the early movement had begun to die down. Just after that miscued chip off Anderson, Rohit went back to punch him through extra cover for four, an emphatic sign that he was in.
Jadeja never looked less than in. The two took India to lunch without further bother. Just after lunch, Rohit became the 14th man in this series to hit a six. The added responsibility of being the leader of an inexperienced line-up had messed with his approach a little, but now though, we were seeing the usual Rohit. There were timely lofts, some paddle sweeps, and a lot of back-foot runs. His second six took him past MS Dhoni’s 78, with Virender Sehwag as the only Indian ahead of him.
Once there was spin from both ends, Jadeja began to catch up too, hitting a six in the final over of the middle session, the first wicketless session of the series. Immediately after tea, Rohit Sharma brought up his 11th hundred with two easy couples off two short balls from Rehan Ahmed. For a long time, the team management would have hoped for the batters to not take risks and just benefit from the inevitable loose balls the inexperienced spin attack was bound to dish up. A little like how Rohit brought up his hundred.
After Tea, Rohit was getting freebies from Rehan. Fifty runs came in 11 overs after tea without having to break a sweat. Then Rohit pulled one off Wood that was probably not short enough to pull. It skidded on, got big on him, and was caught at midwicket but not before making a magnificent 131 and guiding India to command.
This innings from Indian skipper garnered praises from Former Indian cricketer now commentator Sanjay Manjrekar who spoke about the determined approach by the Indian skipper.
Mental toughness of Rohit Sharma was really admirable- Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar admired Rohit Sharma’s mental toughness during his century on Day 1 of the third Test against England at Rajkot.
The 36-year-old had been on a run drought without a half-century in his last eight Test innings before the 131 in the ongoing game. With India reduced to 33/3 in the first hour, Rohit Sharma brought his experience to the forefront to bail the side out of trouble.
Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo at stumps on Day 1, Manjrekar felt Rohit was right to take a few chances against England’s attacking tactics before settling into his innings
“He also felt it cannot be only defense against this kind of tactic and opposition. Earlier on he took a couple of chances and was lucky Root dropped him once. After that he went to the traditional method of mental toughness which was really admirable,” said Sanjay Manjrekar.
Manjrekar also admired Rohit’s ability to restrain playing the big shots for the team’s benefit
“Because these are players who hit sixes for fun and Ben Stokes had the field in for the spinners, so to restrain yourself from doing something you can do so easily for hours together is something that I marvel with these players who have the gift of power but hold it back because it makes sense and is important to the team at that stage,” he added.
It was Rohit’s 11th Test century and ninth at home, with his knock including 14 boundaries and three maximums. The innings propelled India to a formidable total of 326/5 at the end of the opening day.
Sanjay Manjrekar hails Ravindra Jadeja & Rohit Sharma epic 204 runs partnership
Sanjay Manjrekar credited the game-changing partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja and emphasized the importance of the pair extending it beyond just a century stand. The duo joined hands with India in dire straits at 33/3 but added 204 runs for the third wicket to lead the side to safety.
“India needed a 200-run partnership rather than just a 100-run partnership. Because when you take that partnership out, there was nothing much there. Sarfaraz Khan was a pleasant bonus. But India was playing with a very inexperienced batting lineup and 3 wickets at the top was India in real trouble and England having a huge advantage,”
But the pitch will hold the key. Even though India is in much safer waters now , how much England will get on that pitch is impossible to predict,” said Sanjay Manjrekar.
Jadeja also scored his fourth Test century and finished the day unbeaten on 110 off 212 deliveries. With the series tied at one apiece, the ongoing Test will hold much significance to the outcome of the five-match affair.