Rohit Sharma Man of the Match: The Indian opening batsman broke numerous records during the Visakhapatnam Test vs South Africa.
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During the first Test of the ongoing South Africa’s tour of India in Visakhapatnam, India’s newest opening batsman Rohit Sharma scored his fourth and fifth Test century in the first and second innings of the match to break numerous records.
In 10 home Tests, Sharma has scored 1,072 runs at an average of 97.45 and a strike rate of 68.15 including five centuries and half-centuries each.
Sharma became the first batsman to score as many as 303 runs including two centuries in his first Test as an opening batsman. Him justifying his role at the top of the order is likely to solve India’s conundrum regarding their opening batsman in Test matches.
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Having hit 13 sixes in the match, Sharma also achieved the record for scoring most sixes in one Test match. Sharma surpassed former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram who had hit 12 sixes during his career-best Test innings against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in 1996.
As far as scoring two centuries in a single Test, Sharma became the sixth Indian batsman to do so. Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane remain the other Indian batsmen to achieve the milestone.
Rohit Sharma Man of the Match
All the aforementioned feats made Sharma the obvious candidate to win the ‘Man of the Match’ award in today. It is worth mentioning that it was Sharma’s second such award in Test matches.
The first time when the 32-year old cricketer had won the ‘Man of the Match’ award was during his debut Test against West Indies in Kolkata in 2013. Coming in to bat at No. 6 in the 29th over, Sharma had scored 177 (301) with the help of 23 fours and a six to commence his Test career on a high note.
In what has been a start-stop career in cricket’s ancestral format, Sharma would be hoping for excelling in red-ball cricket especially as an opening batsman.
