IND vs ENG | Hundred at The Oval was special, asserts Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma notched up his first overseas century in the fourth Test at The Oval.
|After scoring his first overseas century in Test cricket in the second innings of the fourth Test match at the Oval, Rohit Sharma termed his hundred as special. He further added that the training in Durham after the World Test Championship Final has benefited him a lot and it was a game-changer.
Indian batsmen in the second innings displayed a brilliant show against the English bowlers who bowled them out for a paltry 191 in the first innings. India scored 466 runs in the second innings with contributions from Rohit Sharma (127) who stitched a 153-run stand with Cheteshwar Pujara (61). The likes of Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur scored crucial half-centuries to claim India a 368-run lead against the hosts. India won the fourth Test by 157 runs after Indian bowlers displayed an exuberant show with the Dukes ball. Rohit Sharma was adjudged as the man of the match in the Oval Test for his swashbuckling century.
Rohit Sharma, who notched up first overseas century, stated that he wanted to be in the field as long as he could. He further added that the century at The Oval in the fourth Test will always be a special one to him.
“I wanted to be on the field as much as I could. That hundred was special. We know how important was the second innings. Virat just mentioned the effort from the batsmen, and as a unit it was really important. It's my first overseas hundred. Really glad that I could get the team into an important position," Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation.
The Indian opener reckoned that a hundred was not in his mind, but he wanted to build pressure on the English bowlers and tried contributing to the team.
"The three-figure mark wasn't in my mind, we knew the pressure on the batting unit so we kept our heads down and batted the situation. Once we got the lead, we just wanted to put pressure on the bowlers. I try to contribute for the team, it's important for me," he added.
Rohit revealed that the training days in Durham after the World Test Championship final has benefited him and it was the real game changer.
"I know the importance of opening the innings. I am glad I could make it count. It's alwaysimportant to embrace the challenge, it's not going to be easy. Back in Durham we had timeoff to look at our training and technique and after the World Test Championship final wehad 20-25 days, that was a real game-changer."
India will face England in the fifth Test match on September 10 at Old Trafford.
