'You all are 'Ek Number!' - Rohit Sharma appreciates fans for supporting him through the 'highs and lows'

Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma, on friendship day (August 1), acknowledged the support of all his fans who have stood by him through the many highs and lows of his career. 

The 34-year-old took to Twitter on Sunday and wrote: “To all my friends who cheer me at the stadiums and support me through lows & highs… on this #FriendshipDay, I just want to say you all are,” he wrote and added his gif which says “ek number” (Number one).

Sharma is currently in the United Kingdom as a part of India’s 24-member squad for the upcoming five-Test series against hosts England. Having established himself as a vital cog in India’s limited-overs setup, the top-order batter has sent his stocks high in the longer version of the game with some impressive performances over the last year. 

Although, the upcoming tour remains to be a litmus test for him given the fact he will be up against the likes of Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the ever-so-friendly conditions for pace bowlers in England. 

Sharma was recently in action during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton last month. India went on to lose the titular clash by eight wickets to squander their chance to claim the inaugural title, while Rohit returned with scores of 34 and 30 across the two innings. 

England-India series kickstarts the second cycle of WTC

The upcoming series will initiate the second cycle of ICC’s World Test Championship. The two-year cycle will see the nine full-time members once again battling for the highest mark of world champions in cricket’s purest format. 

The second cycle has brought a changed points system as well, as unlike the previous cycle, where each series was assigned 120 points, the new points system awards a team 12 points for each win, six in an event of a tie, while four and zero for draw and loss, respectively. 

Notably, the Pataudi Trophy and the Ashes are the only two series that will constitute five games, with other series in the cycle being either two or three-Test affairs. Australia’s India tour will be an exception, though, with four Tests.