Indian opener Rohit Sharma has always been dominant with the willow at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur and he was certainly looking for another emphatic show here in the second One Day International of the five-match ODI series against Australia.
However, it turned out to be an forgettable outing for Rohit, as the stylish opener ended with an unwanted record in Nagpur, as the right-hander got out for a duck in a home ODI for the first time in his career, facing only 6 deliveries to give his wicket to Pat Cummins on Tuesday (5th February).
The Hitman could have given a stiff challenge to Aaron Finch's brigade in Nagpur, as the 31-year-old has been instrumental in India's success in the white-ball cricket overs the past few years, but Mumbai batsman lost his wicket while trying an uppercut offering an easy catch to Adam Zampa at third man.
However, the opener has not been in good touch with the bat in his recent innings, having scored an only half-century in his last 8 outings, but Captain Virat Kohli showed his trust on him and retain the same Playing XI for the second ODI despite having thrashed out by Australia in the first ODI.
After the toss in Nagpur, Kohli told media, “We wanted to bat first, pretty much a no-brainer. Not much dew in the evening and it is a dry surface. Not typical of the kind of pitches you get here does not look like it will bounce much. We expect it to deteriorate further as the game progresses.”
He signed off by saying, “We have the same team. We spoke about the middle order coming through when the top three does not click, so we need such games. Guys are looking for opportunities. It was a good performance for us, hopefully, we can keep it going.”
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)
