Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble lauded current skipper Rohit Sharma’s ton in the ongoing first Test against West Indies in Dominica as a much-needed one for the right-handed opener who overcame a run of poor scores.
Rohit Sharma scored 103 and added 229 runs with young Yashasvi Jaiswal who remained unbeaten on 143* at the stumps of day two as India posted 312/2. This was Rohit Sharma’s 10th Test ton and second away from home.
The pitch at Windsor Park was slow, but Sharma's patient approach and technical acumen shone through. His innings were marked by a blend of defensive solidity and calculated aggression, a testament to his experience and adaptability.
Ahead of the start of the new World Test Championship cycle, questions over Rohit Sharma's captaincy in Test cricket emerged and it was reported that the West Indies tour might be make or break for the 36-year-old senior batter.
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"You saw from Ball 1, the moment he stepped out, he knew he had to play a different kind of an innings, it was not the kind of pitch where the ball was coming onto the bat. Rohit likes the pace, even when the fast bowlers bowled those short deliveries, it was not coming on. He was happy to stay restrained and then, yes, on a couple of occasions, he took on the bowlers and hit them over the top," Kumble told Jio Cinema.
"Yes, wonderful innings, much-needed for Rohit because it was not that he was out of form. Even in the WTC, he was looking really good, yes, he got out but he was looking good. Even in the IPL, he was looking good every time he went out there. You could make out that when someone is not in form, and he was never like that. I am glad that he could put his head down and get the hundred," he added.
Rohit and Jaiswal’s 229-run stand for the first wicket is the highest for an opening pair for India in Tests in the West Indies. This feat surpassed the previous record set by Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik in 2006.
