India captain Rohit Sharma played an entertaining innings in the first innings of the 4th Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, in Ahmedabad. The right-handed opener looked good in his knock of 35 runs off 58 balls, made with the help of 3 classy fours and an elegant pull shot sixer to Mitchell Starc.
However, his knock was cut shot owing to a lazy stroke from Rohit Sharma, chipping left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann to short cover where Marnus Labuschagne took the easiest catch of his life.
Anyway, Rohit Sharma provided some real entertainment to the crowd in the Narendra Modi Stadium with his terrific, trademark pull shot sixer to the fiery Mitchell Starc, who has been off-color in this Test match, leaking 49 runs in his first 9 overs across two spells.
On the morning of Day 3, Rohit and his opening partner, Shubman Gill, came out with intent and smacked the ball balls for boundaries, be it from spinners or pacers.
Mitchell Starc bowled a bumper to Rohit Sharma on his chest height and the India captain duly put it away over the fine leg boundary, into a group of the Indian fans who danced with joy.
Watch: Rohit Sharma’s fantastic pull shot six to Starc:
Two balls before this maximum, Rohit had also pulled Starc for a four. Because of the slowness of the surface in Ahmedabad, the short ball didn’t have enough pace or height to trouble Rohit Sharma, who is already perhaps the best player of the pull shot in the world.
Rohit Sharma had looked comfortable for a big knock today, but got out to a soft dismissal at 35(58).
After losing the captain, though, Shubman Gill joined hands with Cheteshwar Pujara and both took the team unscathed any further to lunch while Gill is looking good for a century, which would be his second Test century.
At lunch on Day 3, India are 129/1 with Gill at 65* and Pujara at 22*.
Australia were bowled out for 490 in their first innings. Usman Khawaja scored 180 while Cameron Green scored 114.
Senior off-spinner R Ashwin returned with another five-wicket haul in his bag and created quite a few records today. Ashwin’s figures of 6/91 in 47.2 overs, which is an economy rate of 1.9, stood miles ahead of the other four Indian bowlers on show in Ahmedabad.
