India take charge after early jitters

CHENNAI: During one of his chats with Express, India great Sunil Gavaskar had said that if an
opening batsman gives the first half an hour to the bowler, he can dominate the rest of the day's play. Rohit Sharma did just that.

His seventh hundred helped India recover from 86 for 3 and end the opening day's play at 300 for 6 in 88 overs against England in the second Test at Chepauk on Saturday. The pitch is expected to deteriorate as the game wears on. Taking that into account, it was a top effort by Rohit & Co on Saturday.

After Shubman Gill fell cheaply early on, Rohit along with Pujara raised 85 runs for the second wicket. The pair played with a lot of understanding. But, just when it seemed like they'd go on to post a big stand, Pujara fell after a poor shot selection. The Saurashtra man was caught in the slips by Ben Stokes off
Jack Leach.

Just moments later, India suffered yet another blow. Virat Kohli was castled without opening his account. The India captain failed to read an off-break from Moeen Ali. However, Rohit, who hit 161, stood firm, garnering runs at a brisk pace. He used soft hands to play the spinners deftly and was aggressive against the pacers, not hesitating to pull and cut anything that was pitched short to him. His powerful pull
shot off the bowling Ben stokes, which fetched him a six, showed his intent.

"It was a splendid innings from Rohit. He played positively and did not curb his natural game. He timed the ball well today and was spot on in his shot selection,'' said former India captain K Srikkanth.
Another reason for Rohit's success was the slight adjustment he made in his technique. "Rohit played a lot more straighter. He played his shots close to the body. He came well behind the line of the ball and had the time to play his shots at will,'' said Srikkanth.

Rohit's remarkable innings came to an end when he miscued a sweep shot off Leach to Moeen Ali at deep square leg. Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane added 162 runs in 310 balls for the fourth wicket. Rahane silenced his critics with a gritty effort of 67. He was castled by Moeen Ali, while trying to play against the spin.

"We knew that it was going to turn from Day 1 and it was good to win the toss. The partnerships were vital — Rohit and Pujara got one, so did Rohit and myself. Rohit said it was important to be positive. What happened in the first Test was past, I wanted to be positive, back myself on this wicket. The key was
to use good footwork,'' said Ajinkya Rahane after the day's play.

"We had the strategy (on the sweep). We had discussed a game plan. We wanted to make them bowl to our strengths. I thought the first 20-30 balls were important. Then you get an idea on the pace and the bounce, you're never in on this wicket, so it was important to be positive,'' added the India vice-captain.

Rohit and Rahane's effort has left an ideal platform for the lower-order batsmen. Rishabh Pant, who's batting at 33, could return on Day 2 to pile on more runs for the hosts.