HomeOpinionsRohit Sharma’s maiden T20I century through my eyes
Rohit Sharma’s maiden T20I century through my eyes
Rohit Sharma's performance against South Africa was not possible by a normal human being, it was necessary to bring on the demon out and play for your country.
October 2, 2015 can be marked as a historic moment for Rohit Sharma as he bagged his maiden Twenty20 International (T20I) ton after appearing in 42 matches. It was no less a moment for a girl cheering at home with all the emotions gushing out. It was a public holiday which brought me back to the television set for the most awaited series between India and South Africa.When Rohit was at crease, I was on the edge and nervous of what could happen in the next moment. For a girl who had two of her favourite players on the field—Rohit Sharma and Faf du Plessis—there were neither any questions nor answers to be provided for her support going out to. The match was played at batter-friendly Dharamsala. South Africa won the toss and put India to bat first (that went on to build up the excitement further). The joy of watching Rohit coming to set the stage on fire along with his opening pair Shikhar Dhawan was indescribable. ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma’s unique batting strategy helping him turn into limited-overs cricket monster
It was South Africa’s ace T20I bowler Kyle Abbott opening the attack; and after four dot balls, Rohit was off the mark. I had mixed emotions running through my mind, just then got back to my normal self and continued watching the game. South Africa’s fiery bowler Kasigo Rabada was next in line to attack; Rohit had some other plans in store for him. This time he went towards the covers for his second boundary. AB de Villiers, JP Duminy were mere spectators of the show. After Abbott and Rabada, de Lange was Rohit’s next target and that classic pull shot from him not only added boundaries to India’s kitty but also a huge smile on my face. I was applauding for every boundary like enthusiast. It didn’t end there. It was followed by yet another boundary, making comfortable room and cresting towards the offside. Wow! Yes, exact expression when I watched it flow away from Rohit’s bat.
It was the 5th over and South Africa pacers got hold of their first target Shikhar. It was a misunderstanding leading to run out after a mix-up followed by a misfield, where a single should have been taken. In the greed and a chance to make it a two, Rohit urged Shikhar to go for the second run though he wasn’t keen on it. Shikhar dived and it was a very close decision, but the TV umpire declared his result after scrutinizing the video footage from various angles. I have never been over the board about Virat Kohli. This time I admired him for letting Rohit take the lead and end the game with a floury. De Lange was once again into the attack and Rohit’s controlled innings had no end with bowlers finding no route to escape from the strides of the in-form batsman. ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma’s bat shuts his critics up!
By then, he was 24 off 22, nearing his half-century and I was praying this becomes the best innings of his life. With the way it was moving, I had no clue how to control my passion flowing with highs and lows. Chris Morris attacked Rohit with some swashbuckling shots. Third ball, classic shot by Rohit and off for a boundary. Last ball, once again his patent shot and this time for his first six. My happiness knew no bounds; and for a second, I was off the couch, standing with no thoughts crossing through my mind, awaiting what the next few overs hold.
The Proteas tried various combinations, failing to bring down the unstoppable Rohit. Imran Tahir was next on the cards and by 8.3 overs, Rohit approached 45 with a yet another standard boundary. It is very rare to find Kohli not taking charge of the innings; this time around he preferred to be the audience. It was Abbott once again up to get Rohit down, but that didn’t quite work in the favour and Rohit eased it through for his half-century with an offside boundary. I heaved a sigh of relief, resting back on the couch knowing the game had just begun and there was more to this innings from this man on crease.
The next spell was an unbelievable attempt (rather an interesting one). That scoop attempt left me stunned. Pressure called Rohit was building on every bowler and fielder in the Proteas squad. Tahir was going through a dreadful phase by beginning the over with Rohit’s second big six going all the way, leading India to 100 score mark and neared his first maiden century. Rohit was on 69, when he placed his third big six straight towards the second tire once again on Rabada’s length ball. Your fangirl being silly was so mesmerised witnessing an unusual form that I didn’t realise it was past dinner time. It was then I had decided that your century will be the reason for my celebration.
Rabada might have pulled the remaining strands of his hair had he known Rohit was going for yet another massive blow, leading him closer to his aim. Kohli at the non-strikers end was also in equal support of Rohit with 37 off 20 in 12.3 overs. The cat and mouse game continued between Rohit and South Africans with thr cats having no scope to stop the inevitable to happen. The moment had finally arrived. Rohit was on 97. De Lange back into attack and a jittered me shut my eyes partially yet sneaking through to witness the moment you scored first maiden T20I century by 15th over. What a way to bring the century in style, Rohit! It was not the crowd bursting out or the dugout applauding for your non-human performance, but a girl from your city was almost in tears of happiness and that was the moment, Rohit, I was blessed to watch an unforeseen innings. Kohli was on 42 from 25 then and the support was just the momentum needed to keep the innings going. ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma: The often forgotten story of the batsman’s rise
The entire scenario seemed unreal. Your maiden T20I century made my Birthday month even more special. You might have been disappointed with the result of the match, with South Africa sailing it through their chase. I felt the pain of your century going in vain. What kept me ticking was your maiden century coming in when every person around was questioning your mettle. It hasn’t stopped there. Your recent completion of 1,000 T20I runs against Australia shows the calibre you possess. Your performance against South Africa was not possible by a normal human being. It was necessary to fights the demons and play for your country. This line during your interview after the match, “No matter how much you scored, if you don’t win, your efforts are not counted, nothing really matters to me,” ran through my mind all day. All in all, this was indeed a memorable achievement of your innings.
It is your Birthday; and as you turn 29, here is a wish from a girl from your city to achieve more such milestones and carry forward the tag of hitman forever! #HappyBirthdayRohitSharma
(Shruti Hariharanis a Content Writer with CricketCountry. You can follow her on Twitter at @Shruti_2890)
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