Rajkot, Feb 16, 2024, IANS

Rajkot, Feb 16 (IANS) After Rohit Sharma smashed his 11th Test century through a counter-attacking 131 against England on day one of the third Test at Rajkot, former wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel was left in awe of how the Indian captain was in control of himself while playing shots off the backfoot.

India were reduced to 33/3 in the first 45 minutes of day one, before Rohit made 131 off 196 balls, hitting 14 fours and three sixes. He added 204 runs for the fourth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja to get India’s innings back on track.

“The best thing about the knock was Rohit’s control while playing the ball off the backfoot. The field was set for the lofted hit and he played with control and scored lots of runs playing the ball along the ground. He only committed one mistake, on the ball he got out to, where he played it in the air, otherwise it was a brilliant innings. What we are seeing with Rohit Sharma is that he is adapting to conditions beautifully,” said Patel in a conversation on ‘Match Centre Live’ on JioCinema and Sports18.

After being hit on the helmet grille by Wood in a short-ball play, with three fielders stationed at deep in the leg-side, Rohit tried to unsettle Hartley with cut and sweep for boundaries. He even got a life at 27 in the same over when Joe Root dropped his catch at first slip on an attempted slog.

Luck continued to favour Rohit when survived a close lbw shout while dancing down the pitch against Anderson. From there, Rohit grinded it out at the crease and eventually rescued India with a crucial century, which held huge importance considering the dire circumstance India were in.

The only error from him came when he miscued a pull to mid-wicket off Wood. “India were under pressure at 33-3. Rohit and Jadeja batted brilliantly after that. The captain was under-pressure to score and was awaiting a century for a long time and he delivered. He just committed one mistake and yes, he lost his wicket there," added former England batter Owais Shah.