India’s stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma said the desire to comeback stronger as batting unit after the humiliating loss in Dharamsala proved a catalyst for him and his team, as he notched up a record third ODI double century. India levelled the series with a 141-run win over Sri Lanka in the second ODI in Mohali on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old was at his marauding best as he smashed an unbeaten 208 to set Sri Lanka a target of 393, before his bowlers restricted the opposition of 251/8 to seal a comprehensive victory.
The right-hander scored 209 against Australia in Bangalore in 2013, and followed that double-hundred with his highest score of 264 against Sri Lanka a year later in Kolkata.
Speaking after the game, Rohit said he could not pick any one of the three double tons as his favourite, stating that they were all scored during crucial junctures in the match.
“Very difficult to pick one,” said Rohit. “All three came at crucial times. 264 is obviously very close to me. I’ve said it many times, I honestly cannot pick one. The Australia one was a decider, the Sri Lanka 264 - I came back after a three-month layoff after a big injury, and this one also - after the humiliating loss in Dharamsala, we wanted to come back as a team, as a batting unit especially,” he added.
“It was a great day. Winning the game was important for me and the team after that loss in Dharamsala. I can keep talking about our batting today, right from the start, with Shikhar giving us a brilliant start, and Shreyas Iyer - it didn’t look like he was playing only his second ODI.”
Starting slow
Asked how he went about building his knock, Rohit said he started slow and looked to build on, as he had done while scoring his previous two double centuries.
“There was dew later, so it was important to get that big total,” Rohit said. “If I’m not wrong, the first 100 I got were around the 38th, 39th over, so I was telling myself, if I get that far, I’m not going to get out. I was only looking to keep my shape and hit through the line. It was the same thing I did in my first two 200s. I started off pretty slow then too,” he added.
Rohit admitted that the landmark knock was made extra special by the fact that it came on his wedding anniversary even as his wife watched on from the stands.
“I’m happy [my wife] is here with me on this special day,” Rohit said. “I know she would have liked this gift from me. She’s been my strength, she’s always been there for me. You go through so much stress in this sport, and having them around is always special.
“This is our second anniversary, but more than that, we won the game. We were determined to do the right things in the middle, and right till the end we did that,” he added.
Rohit said the team will look to replicate his team’s performance in the deciding game in Visakhapatnam as well.
“As a group we’re looking forward to Vizag. The conditions will be different, and again we have to adapt and play to our strengths,” Rohit said.