The pitch in Nagpur was dominating headlines even before a single ball was bowled in the first Test encounter between India and Australia. From speculations of “pitch doctoring” by some ex-Australia cricketers to constant reports from the media, a lot of eyes were already on the surface when the match started on Thursday. However, the performance from the Indian bowlers to dismiss Australia cheaply and the century from India skipper Rohit Sharma has stopped all speculations. Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals took to Twitter to taunt Australia for the pre-match conversation.
100 for the Hitman ?? pic.twitter.com/QuUtgbTdQQ
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) February 10, 2023
In the Twitter post, RR posted a picture of Steve Smith inspecting the pitch with the text “Why is this not troubling Rohit?” just a few minutes after the India skipper completed his record century.
This was the first Test century for Rohit as a captain and as a result, he became the first Indian cricket team skipper to score a century in all formats. Overall, Babar Azam, Faf du Plessis and Tillakaratne Dilshan are the only other cricketers who have achieved this massive feat in international cricket.
Rohit was finally dismissed for 120 but not before earning praises from both experts and fans.
The manner of his batting on Day 1 had impressed former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who said: "When Rohit Sharma batting, he won't allow any bowler to settle. His form can dictate terms in this BGT, not just because of the runs he'll get, but the pace at which he gets it. His record as an opening batsman is stunning".
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.