India opening batsman Rohit Sharma slammed his 22nd ODI century on Saturday against Australia in Sydney. The 31-year-old took only 110 balls to reach the landmark during the first ODI of the series. In his innings, the right-handed batsman struck 4 sixes and 7 fours to reach the landmark. With India still needing over 100 runs to win, Sharma did not make most of his celebrations and quickly took the crease to bat on again.
This is Sharma’s 7th ODI ton against Australia, but it is the fifth time he has scored a ton in Australia. He had previously also scored a double hundred against Aussies, back in 2013, in Bengaluru where he hammered 209 in 158 balls.
Really classy century from Rohit Sharma. You can say that about most of his batting but it has been a treat to watch this.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 12, 2019
During the course of the innings, Sharma surpassed wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist to become the third highest-run scorer in ODIs between the two countries. In 29 ODIs, against the opponent, Sharma has scored over 1,622 runs. Sachin Tendulkar, who has scored 3,077 runs in 71 ODIs, remains on top of the table.
This has been a top innings from Rohit. But India will need something special to pull this one off !
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 12, 2019
Being asked to chase down 289, India found themselves in a spot of bother, when Shikhar Dhawan, skipper Virat Kohli, and Ambati Rayudu were dismissed with just 4 runs on the board. But Sharma added 137 runs with MS Dhoni to take India to a safer position in the match, and then carried on to stick in the middle with Dinesh Karthik after Dhoni’s fall.
Earlier, Australia had scored 288/5 in 50 overs after electing to bat. Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, and Peter Handscomb scored fifties, while Marcus Stoinis scored 47 runs in 43 balls to take Aussies to a competitive total.
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