In a performance that veteran cricketer Mohammed Kaif declared was a sign that “he isn’t going anywhere,” Rohit Sharma anchored the innings with a cautious yet crucial half-century in the second One Day International against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
Rohit’s knock of 73 runs off 97 balls came at a vital juncture for the tourists. After Australia opted to bowl first, India found themselves in early trouble at 17/2, with young opener Shubman Gill falling cheaply and batting stalwart Virat Kohli recording his second consecutive duck of the series.
Amidst intense social media chatter about his future and the rising threat of young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit demonstrated resilience. His innings, punctuated by seven fours and two trademark pull shots for sixes, stabilized the ship. He built a pivotal 118-run partnership with vice-captain Shreyas Iyer (61 off 77 balls).
Former India batsman Mohammed Kaif took to X to laud the Rohit ‘s effort, highlighting the pressure he faced. “Too much social media chatter about his future, tough pitch, world class pacers operating, Gill and Kohli out cheaply… Despite all that Rohit plays a very important inning for India and his career,” Kaif wrote. “This 73 at Adelaide will give him a lot of confidence. Rohit shows he isn’t going anywhere.”
Beyond the crucial partnership, the 36-year-old achieved two significant personal milestones. He surpassed former captain Sourav Ganguly to become India’s third-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket, a list now led by Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Furthermore, Rohit became the first Indian batsman to amass 1,000 ODI runs against Australia on Australian soil.
Despite a mid-innings wobble caused by Adam Zampa (4/60) that reduced India to 226/8, a valuable late contribution from Harshit Rana (24* off 18) helped the team post a competitive total of 264/9. However, the day’s narrative was firmly claimed by the Rohit’s composed fifty, which provided a much-needed counterpoint to the earlier speculation surrounding the team’s senior players.
