Rohit opens up on tough battles and respect for Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara’s ability to bat for long periods and dominate the pitch has left a lasting impression on his former India teammate Rohit Sharma.
Cheteshwar Pujara’s ability to bat for long periods and dominate the pitch has left a lasting impression on his former India teammate Rohit Sharma.
Continuing the suspense over India’s new No.4 following the retirement of Virat Kohli from Test cricket, India’s new Test skipper Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the combination will be decided once they play the intra-squad match ahead of the five-Test series against England, starting June 20.
The former Mumbai Indians skipper stood tall against GT’s bowling attack as he became the second player in IPL history to reach the mark after Virat Kohli.
The Rohit Sharma Stand was unveiled at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday evening, with the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also in attendance.
Sources have told The Statesman that Kohli has expressed his desire to retire from Test cricket and has been in discussion with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for some time.
Shubman Gill rose to No 2 in the ICC ODI rankings for batters and is now closing in on former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam’s top spot. Gill closed the gap with Babar after hitting back-to-back fifties in the first two ODIs against England.
New Zealand’s white-ball maestro Martin Guptill recalled his days of opening the batting alongside current India captain Rohit Sharma in the Indian Premier League (IL), following his stunning unbeaten 160 off just 49 balls in the Legend 90 League on Monday.
Putting an end to the lean patch that Rohit Sharma had endured in the past few months, especially in red-ball cricket, the India skipper served a timely warning for the opposition teams ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy by firing a destructive century to help India seal the three-match ODI series against England in the second one-dayer at Cuttack on Sunday.
India skipper Rohit Sharma faced intense scrutiny over his form in the past six months, but quashed all of it in swashbuckling fashion by hitting 119 off 90 balls, his 32nd ODI century, in a four-wicket series-clinching win over England at Cuttack.
India had taken a 1-0 lead after their four-wicket win at Nagpur, but Kohli getting rested due to soreness in his knee had raised concerns about his fitness ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, starting February 19.
