Rohit Sharma slams 12th Test century; close to 400 runs in IND vs ENG series | Cricket

Rohit Sharma was in marauding form as he completed the 12th century of his Test career against England on Day 2 of the Dharamsala Test. The India captain, continuing his red-hot form in the current World Test Championship cycle, notched up his 2nd century of the series and came close to completing 400 runs. Rohit is the only Indian in WTC’s top-10 run-scorers as he and Shubman Gill – through a terrific partnership for the second wicket – propelled India into the lead.

Resuming on his overnight score of 52, Rohit switched to overdrive from the very beginning, exuding shades of his aggressive self at the World Cup. After a maiden and a tight over from James Anderson, Rohit flexed his muscles carting a six and four off back-to-back deliveries from Shoaib Bashir. Gill then took charge in the next over – smashing Anderson for a maximum and two boundaries off three balls to take 14 off it as the partnership between the two flourished.

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England had a half-chance to dismiss Rohit when he was on 68 as he glanced the ball and it went past the leg slip fielder. That was the last boundary off Rohit’s bat for a while, but even as the India captain took the backseat, there was no stopping Gill. After Anderson, it was Mark Wood’s turn to feel the heat as the batter creamed a couple of delightful boundaries to get the appreciation from his father in the stands.

Between the two, Gill was the first who brought up his 400 runs for the series – his second-highest run rally in a Test series behind the 529 runs he piled against South Africa at home in 2019. Having gone quiet for a while, Rohit broke the shackles. He gave himself room and spanked Wood through the off-side for a cracking boundary, almost as if he was warming up for the IPL. The greatness behind that stroke was that Ben Stokes had six fielders in the deep for Rohit, but he chose to target extra cover for a four. As runs continued to flow, Rohit and Gill brought up their century partnership.

Rohit Sharma takes off following a slow start

This is Rohit’s third 50-plus score of the series to go with his knock of 131 in Rajkot and 55 during the last game at Ranchi. With Virat Kohli out, a lot rode on the India skipper to lead from the front, and when India lost the opening Test in Hyderabad, the pressure only mounted. Still, despite a slow start to the series with scores of 24, 39, 14 and 13, Rohit turned it on in the third Test, scoring a brilliant hundred and stitching a game-changing partnership with Ravindra Jadeja when India were in all sorts of trouble at 33/3.

In Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi, Rohit fell cheaply in the first innings, but with India chasing a tricky 192-run target on a slow, deteriorating and turning pitch, held the innings to give India a brilliant start with Yashasvi Jaiswal. And if that wasn’t enough, Rohit, who for the first time in his career is playing the fifth Test of a series, is making in count in Dharamsala too in India’s pursuit of a 4-1 finish.