Rohit Sharma gave India the necessary inspiration during their run chase in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, according to former Indian bowler RP Singh. The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster, nevertheless, was a little let down by the Indian captain for not turning his half-century into a more remarkable performance.
After Rohit Sharma (55 off 81) was dismissed on Monday, February 26, India was down to 99/2 chasing a 192-run total. They fell even lower to 120/5, but Shubman Gill (52* off 124) and Dhruv Jurel (39* off 77) combined for an unbeaten 72 runs to lead the hosts to victory by five wickets.
Ben Foakes stumped Rohit as he danced down the track to a delivery from Tom Hartley. Replays, however, appeared to indicate that he gained an advantage and ultimately was found to be caught behind.
“Rohit Sharma have the responsibility to take the game further forward”- RP Singh
RP Singh was questioned about his feelings over Rohit Sharma’s knock during a conversation on Colors Cineplex. He replied,
“He is the most experienced player in this team. He set the tempo for sure. The approach with which he batted was worth seeing. He knew that you would get close to the target if you have one big partnership, especially the opening partnership as it creates the base.”
“He used his experience properly and looked in good rhythm. However, the way he got stumped, I feel it was a slight mistake because once you have got set and batting on 50, you have the responsibility to take the game further forward,” RP Singh added.
“Rohit Sharma showed how to play on this wicket”- Owais Shah lauds Rohit Sharma’s innings
Owais Shah praised Rohit Sharma for playing a captain’s knock at the same discussion. He explained:
“It was a fantastic knock. It was extremely necessary for him to play such a knock because only he has so much experience and he has been given responsibility because he is the captain. A captain has to play such a knock on this wicket and in this situation.”
The former England batsman observed that Yashasvi Jaiswal (37 off 44) was mentored by the opener, who took calculated chances.
“He showed how to play on this wicket. He took risks when he had to. He hit a six off Jimmy Anderson’s length ball. So he knew what he was doing. From the other end, he was also asking Yashasvi Jaiswal to play cautiously. He knew how to succeed on this wicket. Mistakes keep happening, and he made one and got out,” Shah added.
On Day 3, before Stumps, Rohit and Jaiswal scored 40 runs for the first wicket in just eight overs. In the fourth morning, they took that partnership to 84 before James Anderson spectacularly caught Jaiswal off the bowling of Joe Root.