Rohit Sharma’s top three knocks in Test cricket

In a rather surprising move, India’s current Test captain Rohit Sharma announced his sudden retirement from Test cricket last evening, drawing the curtains on a career that spanned nearly a decade and a half. Having played 67 Tests, he ends his career with an average of 40.58 with 12 centuries and a double century to his name. 

While Rohit Sharma’s major exploits have come in ODIs and T20I games for India, he had a pretty impressive Test career as well. Often underlooked as a Test batter because of a lack of consistency, Rohit remained a largely underappreciated Test player. As captain, he led India to home series wins over England and Australia, while also scoring some crucial centuries away from home as a batter. 

Rohit Sharma’s top three knocks in Test cricket: 

1. 177 vs West Indies, Mumbai, 2013

While this Test match is now largely remembered as Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell game, it was also the Test where a certain Rohit Sharma made his debut in red ball cricket. Coming out to bat at his home Wankhede Stadium, Rohit Sharma showed great application and timing on debut. He scored some cracking boundaries while also taking his time, scoring a century on debut. Rohit Sharma is one of 17 Indians to score a century on Test debut, adding to an illustrious list that includes Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Azharuddin and Virender Sehwag to name a few. 

The Mumbai batter ended the first innings with 177 runs, scoring 11 boundaries and three sixes in that knock. West Indies crumbled in the second innings as Pragyan Ojha picked a five-for. India won Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Test by an innings and 126 runs. Rohit Sharma was named Man of the Match for his illustrious ton on Test debut. 

2. 212 vs South Africa, 2019

Despite being a world beater in ODI cricket, Rohit Sharma always found himself in and out of the Test team. That was until 2019 when he was trialed as an opener for the home series against South Africa, and since then, there was no looking back. He formed a lethal partnership with Mayank Agarwal in that series, as the South African bowlers were sent on a leather hunt. 

On a tricky surface at Ranchi, where India lost three quick wickets, Rohit Sharma led the way as he counter-attacked alongside Ajinkya Rahane. He smashed 28 fours and 6 sixes in his innings as he notched up his first and only double hundred in Test cricket. India managed to win that Test easily by 202 runs, and Rohit Sharma once and for all silenced his critics by cementing a place in the Indian Test side. 

3. 127 vs England, London, 2021

In a knock that will go down as one of the greatest centuries by an Indian opener overseas, Rohit Sharma led the way with a remarkable knock that helped his side claim a famous win at the Oval in 2021. After an evenly matched first innings, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul showed incredible skill and patience as they got an opening partnership of 83 on an overcast day at the Oval. 

Refraining from his usual attacking style, Rohit Sharma showed a different facet to his game as he blunted the English new ball attack. He stayed away from any deliveries outside off or any balls that swung late, playing late, and attacking only when the ball was in range. Sharma scored 127 off 256 balls, including 14 fours and a solitary six. He tired down the much celebrated English bowling attack of James Anderson, Chris Woakes and Ollie Robinson, setting up an insurmountable target for the hosts in the fourth innings.