Star batsman Rohit Sharma said he knew the role of an opener was his last opportunity to succeed in Tests and he was ready to make it count when the responsibility came his way in 2019. Rohit hit his first overseas Test hundred on Saturday as he led India’s fightback with the bat in the 2nd innings of the ongoing 4th Test between England and India at the Oval in London.
Rohit Sharma hit 127 and spent 256 balls out in the middle as he helped India wipe off England’s first innings lead of 99 runs. Rohit stitched an 83-run stand with fellow opener KL Rahul after which he put on 153 for the 2nd-wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara.
Rohit, who has shown tremendous composure as opener in the ongoing 5-Test series in England, notched up his 7th hundred, his first in his maiden series as a Test opener in England.
Rohit conceded that he did not have a good run in Tests in the middle-order and he knew he had to make the most of the opportunity to open the innings for India. However, Rohit maintained that he was not surprised when he was asked to open as such a move was discussed in the dressing room well before he took up that role in 2019 in a home series against South Africa.
Rohit had made his Test debut in 2013 and had averaged 39.62 before he took up the role of an opener in November 2019. Since getting to the top of the batting order, he has averaged over 58 and has hit 5 hundreds.
“In the back of my mind, I knew this was the last chance for me (Tests), trying another position in the batting order. When the offer came to me to open the batting, I was very much aware of it because the talks were happening within the management at some stage,” Rohit said after his Oval hundred.
“It was my feeling. I thought getting the opportunity in 2019 was my last chance. I don’t know what the team management thought. The team management told me ‘you’ll have a long run when you open the batting’. But I wanted to think that this was it. I wanted to make good use of the opportunity. I had to do whatever it takes for that.
