Rohit Sharma's first ODI in 10-weeks began with a touch of nerves. He
was even kept scoreless in one Angelo Mathews maiden. By the end of the
innings, there was no shot he had not played. No part of the ground he
had not exploited. No bowler who escaped his brutality. Rohit amassed 45
more runs than any ODI batsman had ever managed in an innings,
finishing on 264 from 173 balls when he was finally caught off the last
ball of the innings. India, almost incidentally, had moved to 404 for 5,
despite having traveled at a run rate of less than six for the first 32
overs.
Rohit's innings was so outrageous that the first 100 runs, which were
hit at a run-a-ball, seem achingly humdrum in comparison to the 164 that
followed. The surge had actually begun before he reached his century,
when he plundered 14 runs in four balls, in Nuwan Kulasekara's 30th
over. Soon after that, the ball would be leaping off the middle of his
bat with almost every stroke he offered.
There were many incredible shots, from among his 33 fours and nine
sixes, but the most gobsmacking was the six off Kulasekara at the end of
the 48th over, when he walked across to off stump, took a half volley
from about a foot and half away from him and flicked it high over the
midwicket boundary. It was the kind of shot, and innings, that seemed in
open defiance of physics.
Sri Lanka had played a tour match against Mumbai to warm-up for the
series, but little did they know Rohit was warming-up against them. He
hit 142 from 111 in that match - his first competitive game since
fracturing a finger in August - and he has now re-embedded himself at
the top of the India batting order in the most resounding fashion
imaginable.
The most dispiriting aspect of the flogging for Sri Lanka was their
complicity in it. Shaminda Eranga had extracted a thick outside edge
from Rohit in the fifth over, and though the ball carried comfortably to
Thisara Perera at third man, he shelled the chance. Having been dropped
on four, Rohit would become the third India centurion this series, to
have been reprieved early in his innings. It makes sense, then, that
since he hit a double-century, he should be dropped twice. Seekkuge
Prasanna obliged him, when he shelled another straightforward chance off
Rohit in the 46th over, with the batsman on 201 this time.
Nuwan Kulasekara had strayed too straight to Rahane, in particular, who
picked him off for a spate of legside fours to kick the India innings
into gear, in a 14-run first over. Angelo Mathews and Eranga delivered
more disciplined new-ball spells, claiming a wicket each inside the
first 15 overs, but that is as good as the visitors' bowling effort got.
Sri Lanka's lines and lengths worsened gradually from the 20th over
onwards, until they had become almost farcically bad by the 35th.
Another beautifully orchestrated batting Powerplay from India - between
the 29th and 34th overs - brought them 67 runs, and was enough to hammer
the Sri Lanka bowlers off their rhythm for the rest of the innings.
Short, wide deliveries, thigh-high full tosses and rank long hops were
presented with alarming regularity, and the fielding was almost as
woeful. Sri Lanka had not expected to begin the series strongly, given
their lack of preparation, but in these two disciplines, they have
actually worsened significantly through the tour.
Having been joined at 59 for 2, Kohli and Rohit put on 202 brisk runs
together, before miscommunication between the wickets saw Kohli run out
for 66. That wasn't even the most astounding partnership of the India
innings. When Rohit and Robin Uthappa came together in the 41st over,
the score was 276 for 4. They would put on 128 runs in 58 balls
together. Out of that, Uthappa's contribution was a run-a-ball 16.
By the time Rohit hit Kulasekara down Mahela Jayawardene's throat at
long off, the record for most fours struck in an innings had also
tumbled, and Rohit was in possession of half the ODI scores over 200.
One record he missed out on by one delivery, was Sunil Gavaskar's record
for most balls faced. Gavaskar had made 36 not out.
