When Rohit Met Virat: Paving the Path for India's Cricketing Legacy

(Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma celebrating after defeating Australia)

Chasing a target of 360 runs against the tough bowling lineup of the Australian team will always be a tough task for any team. But if you have players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan, then no task is going to be difficult for the team. Such were the days of the Indian cricket team during the 2013-2019 period where Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan used to open while at the number 3 position, Virat Kohli used to play big innings for the team. The top 3 of the Indian team have always been brilliant and this trio has always been an emotion for the fans as they had so much success up there.

Dhawan-Rohit-Kohli’s Destructive Performances Against Australia in Jaipur

The year was 2013 when India and Australia met for a 7-match ODI series in the Indian conditions and with both the teams being at the top of the ODI format, the battle was going to be legendary for sure. In the first ODI, Australia was coming after a win and hence had the 1-0 series lead. The 2nd match was played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur where the smaller boundaries are a batter’s paradise. Seeing this, the Australian captain George Bailey went to bat first after getting the toss in their favour.

They started the innings just like in the proper Australian way as Aaron Finch and Phillip Hughes came up with all the guns blazing as both of them completed their fifty-plus scores in the match. In the 16th over of the game, Aaron Finch finally got out and India got the breakthrough but it was just the start of a destruction as Shane Watson started taking on the Indian bowlers. After the partnership of Shane Watson and Phillip Hughes was done, the Australian team was at 212-3 in 37 overs and it was a great opportunity for the team to go past the 350 mark.

(Shane Watson playing during his knock against India in the 3rd ODI of the series)

This is where Glenn Maxwell and George Bailey grabbed the opportunity with both hands and got a 96 runs partnership in just 7 overs. Between this, Maxwell scored 53 runs from just 32 balls while Bailey managed to have 92 runs from just 50 balls played which helped the Australian team to reach a score of 359 runs in their 50 overs after losing just 5 wickets. From the Indian team, it was just Vinay Kumar who managed to pick2 wickets in 9 overs and gave away 73 runs in the process.

For the Indian team, chasing a mammoth total of 360 runs was never going to be an easy task and hence the fans were looking forward to seeing how the team plays in difficult conditions now. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma started off positively for the team and started taking on the Australian bowlers to get quick runs in the first 10 overs. In just 16.2 overs, India completed their 100 runs while Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan completed their half-centuries in the process.

(Virat Kohli celebrates after completing his century from just 52 balls)

In the 27th over of the game, the Australian team got the first breakthrough as Shikhar Dhawan was caught out on 95 runs by Brad Haddin while trying a shot against James Faulkner. After this, Rohit Sharma was joined by Virat Kohli in the middle and the team still needed 184 runs in 24 overs of the game. Considering this, Virat Kohli started attacking the bowlers from the first ball and got his half-century from just 27 balls to keep the Indian team in the run chase.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma completed his century in 102 balls and by the end of the 39th over, India breached the 300 runs mark which allowed them to be well in the game. After Rohit Sharma, it was Kohli’s chance to get his century and by tapping the ball for a single against Xavier Doherty, he completed the fastest ODI century by an Indian in just 52 balls.

India vs Australia, 2nd ODI at Jaipur, Oct 16 2013
Australia	India
359/5 (50.0 overs)	362/1 (43.3 overs)
George Bailey 92*(50)	Rohit Sharma 141*(123)
Vinay Kumar 2/73 (9 overs)	James Faulkner 1/60 (7 overs)
India won by 9 wickets

(Scorecard of 2nd ODI between India and Australia)

By the end of the 43rd over, the Indian team was 348 runs with the loss of just 1 wicket and needed just 12 runs more in the 7 overs left. Glenn Maxwell was given the ball for the 44th over of the game and Rohit Sharma tried to complete the game in that over only. The first two balls went for a boundary and a six and on the third ball, he flicked a full toss on the pads to the boundary and gave the Indian team a win by 9 wickets. Both the batters celebrated aggressively as soon as the ball touched the boundary and it was an emphatic win for the team with Rohit Sharma scoring 141 runs from 123 balls while Virat Kohli scoring 100 runs of just 52 balls.

Talking about the outcome of the series after the 7 ODIs, it was the Indian team who managed to come out at the top because they clinched the series 3-2 after the two ODIs were washed out because of the rain and hence it was an amazing series for the fans who watched some of the best moments here. From Rohit Sharma’s maiden 200, Virat Kohli’s fastest ODI hundred, James Faulkner’s assault, and Maxwell’s classic innings to some of the best bowling spells, the fans got everything from it and in the series, Rohit Sharma was the highest run scorer with 491 runs to his name while among the bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin picked 9 wickets.