'Valuable innings under pressure' - Twitter users react as Rohit Sharma's valiant half-century takes India to fighting 173

Rohit Sharma's flawless batting led India to a defendable total as other batters failed to fire.

By Vaishnavi Thiagarajan Iyer

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Rohit Sharma
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Rohit Sharma (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)

India had a rollercoaster first innings against Sri Lanka in their second game of the Super Four in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. India’s start to the game did not go as planned as the Men in Blue lost two early wickets in the form of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, facing a major setback. But skipper Rohit Sharma took charge and rescued his side.

It was a crucial fixture for the Men in Blue as India need to defeat both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in their Super Four fixtures to keep their final hopes alive. Sri Lanka won the toss and put India to bat first. In just the second over, Maheesh Theekshana dismissed opening batter KL Rahul and in the very next over, Dilshan Madushanka sent Kohli back to the pavilion for a four-ball duck.

After the major blow, India needed a miracle, and that is when skipper Rohit Sharma stepped to India’s rescue. Sharma started slow, but it did not take him long to get going as he showcased his power-hitting prowess at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Thanks to him, India was able to sail through the powerplay without losing any more wickets.

Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav shared a brilliant 97-run stand for the third wicket before the skipper departed in the 13th over off Chamika Karunaratne’s delivery after scoring a well-composed 41-ball 72. That was all the highlight for India in the first innings as wickets fell like dominoes after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal and the batting unit came crashing down.

After Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant tried to fire, but just when they got going, Dasun Shanaka broke the partnership by picking the all-rounder’s wicket. Madushanka continued his good form with the ball and struck twice in the 19th over to send both Pant and Deepak Hooda walking back, thereby adding three wickets under his belt.

When it looked like India would go on to touch 180+ on the scoreboard, the Sri Lankan bowlers stormed through the Indian lineup and kept picking wickets at regular intervals to put brakes on the momentum. Thanks to Ravichandran Ashwin’s hitting in the final over, India managed to score 173/8 against the team who were coming off a victory against Bangladesh and Afghanistan where they chased down 184 and 176 runs respectively.

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Asia Cup 2023IndiaSri LankaRohit Sharma