Rohit Sharma became fluent after Siddle dropped him: VVS Laxman

Rohit Sharma, after missing out from the Perth Test against Australia, made the cut for the ongoing encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The 31-year-old batter couldn’t do well in Adelaide and was required to score big in the ongoing match. He didn’t let go of the opportunity and churned out an unbeaten knock of 63 runs from 114 balls with the help of five boundaries.   

En route the gutsy knock, Peter Siddle dropped him at short fine leg when Rohit attempted a sweep shot off Nathan Lyon at the score of 15. In the meantime, former Indian cricketer and current commentator VVS Laxman reckons Siddle’s drop catch led to Rohit stepping on the gas.

There were two types of Rohit Sharma

“One of the reasons why Rohit’s strike-rate was less was because of the way he started off. When he was having that partnership with Rahane and, lost two set batsmen. At that time, Rohit and Rahane were new at the wicket and while Ajinkya was batting well, it was important to stitch a stand as India couldn’t have afforded to lose another wicket,” Laxman told ESPNcricinfo.

“Rohit wasn’t able to find his rhythm and not able to time the ball. It was tough for a new batsman to come and accelerate against quality fast bowlers. But there were two types of Rohit Sharma- one before Siddle dropped his catch and the other after he got the reprieve. Rohit was more free-flowing than what it was before. Once Pant joined him, his strike-rate got better,” he added.

When Siddle dropped the experienced campaigner, Rohit was playing at a strike-rate of 24.59 (15 from 61 balls). Thereafter, he notched 48 runs from 53 balls at a strike-rate of 90.56. His knock also helped the Virat Kohli-captained-visiting team to put up a significant 443 on the board.

Rohit stitched together a stand of 62 runs with Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored his 17th Test ton, following which he added 76 with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. As far as the match is concerned, Australia are trailing by a mammoth 435 runs after the close of play on the second day.

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