"He went to the traditional method of mental toughness"- Sanjay Manjrekar praises Rohit Sharma for brilliant century on Day 1 of 3rd IND-ENG Test
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar admired Rohit Sharma's mental toughness during his century on Day 1 of the third Test against England at Rajkot.
The 36-year-old had been on a run drought without a half-century in his last eight Test innings before the 131 in the ongoing game. With India reduced to 33/3 in the first hour, Rohit brought his experience to the forefront to bail the side out of trouble.
Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo at stumps on Day 1, Manjrekar felt Rohit was right to take a few chances against England's attacking tactics before settling into his innings [0:37].
"He also felt it cannot be only defense against this kind of tactic and opposition. Earlier on he took a couple of chances and was lucky Root dropped him once. After that he went to the traditional method of mental toughness which was really admirable," said Manjrekar.
Manjrekar also admired Rohit's ability to restrain playing the big shots for the team's benefit [1:06].
"Because these are players who hit sixes for fun and Ben Stokes had the field in for the spinners, so to restrain yourself from doing something you can do so easily for hours together is something that I marvel with these players who have the gift of power but hold it back because it makes sense and is important to the team at that stage," added Manjrekar.
It was Rohit's 11th Test century and ninth at home, with his knock including 14 boundaries and three maximums.
The innings propelled India to a formidable total of 326/5 at the end of the opening day.
"India needed a 200-run partnership rather than just a 100-run partnership" - Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar credited the game-changing partnership between Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja and emphasized the importance of the pair extending it beyond just a century stand.
The duo joined hands with India in dire straits at 33/3 but added 204 runs for the third wicket to lead the side to safety.
"India needed a 200-run partnership rather than just a 100-run partnership. Because when you take that partnership out, there was nothing much there. Sarfaraz Khan was a pleasant bonus. But India was playing with a very inexperienced batting lineup and 3 wickets at the top was India in real trouble and England having a huge advantage. But the pitch will hold the key. Even though India is in much safer waters now , how much England will get on that pitch is impossible to predict," said Manjrekar [1:37].
Jadeja also scored his fourth Test century and finished the day unbeaten on 110 off 212 deliveries.
With the series tied at one apiece, the ongoing Test will hold much significance to the outcome of the five-match affair.