Batting maestro Virat Kohli scored 166 not out, and along with Shubman Gill, who scored 116, powered India to a mammoth 390 for 5. And pacer Mohammed Siraj returned an excellent figures of 4 for 32 to bowl out the visitors for a paltry 73 in 22 overs.
Amid all the records, skipper Rohit Sharma registered an unwanted record of his own. Rohit, who looked in a good touch, scored 42 off 49 balls and added a fine 95 runs for the opening wicket with Gill, but the captain has now failed to convert a good start into a triple-figure score for 50 consecutive international innings.
Former India opening batter Gautam Gambhir, who is one of the panellists of the official broadcaster Star Sports, said that Rohit should be put in the same space where Kohli was until a few months ago.
“I think we should talk to him in the same space like we used to when Virat didn’t get a 100 in the last three and a half years. So we should be equally hard on Rohit Sharma because 50 innings in international cricket is quite a lot,” said Gambhir.
Rohit last scored a century in September 2021, against England in a Test match at the Oval.
On the other hand, Kohli, who ended his long century drought last year after smashing his maiden T20I ton against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, has now scored three centuries in his last four ODIs.
“It’s not that you didn’t get a 100 in one or two series. That is one thing that is missing in Rohit’s game from the last World Cup. He used to get those big 100s, this time he’s looking in good form, he’s hitting the ball well but he has to convert. It is one thing that has stood out for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and Virat has got it back, Rohit Sharma needs to get it back at least before the World Cup because these two guys will be extremely important if India has to go all the way and win the World Cup,” Gambhir added.
Rohit started the new year on a strong note, smashing 67-ball 83 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which India won by 67 runs. He looked in good touch in the third ODI too, but failed to convert another good start.
Rohit was the top scorer in the last ODI World Cup in 2019, scoring 648 runs from nine matches which included five centuries. And India will need similar form from their skipper in the home World Cup later in the year.
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