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Rohit Sharma made his Test debut for India in 2013 against West Indies. Since then, he has played 45 Tests and scored 3137 runs at an average of 46.13 - with 8 centuries and 14 half-centuries. He was recently appointed as the Test captain of the Indian cricket team after Virat Kohli stepped down.
Rohit Sharma's Test career was following an on and off pattern due to injuries and poor form before he started opening in the format. His record as a Test opener is staggering, with 5 of his 8 Test tons having come in the past two-and-a-half years, since he was promoted up the order.
So, to see how good Rohit has become, especially since 2019, let's take a look at Rohit's top-5 Test scores.
#5 127 vs England at The Oval, 2021
Rohit Sharma came into this Test series with a reputation for not being able to convert starts into big scores away from home. He batted exceedingly well in the first three Tests of the series - scoring 83 at Lord's and 59 at Headingley. The elusive overseas Test hundred, however, was yet to come.
India had conceded a lead of 99 runs after the first innings. The onus was on the openers to give the team a great start if they had to make a comeback in the Test. Rohit Sharma, along with KL Rahul, added 83 runs for the first wicket.
Rohit and Pujara continued from where the opening partnership left off, as they added another 153 for the second wicket. He ensured that he didn't play any overly extravagant strokes while the pacers were bowling relentlessly good lengths in overcast conditions.
The current India captain brought up his first overseas ton in style, lofting Moeen Ali for a six over long-on. He set up a base for the rest of the batting order to build upon. India eventually set England a target of 368 runs and won the Test by 157 runs. They took a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series.
#4 161 vs England at Chepauk, 2021
Arguably Rohit Sharma's best performance in a home Test, this knock came at a very crucial stage for the Indian team. India won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket that assisted the spinners from the very beginning.
Rohit played a brilliant counter-attacking knock, almost reminiscent of the way he took on the bowlers in white ball cricket. Although wickets kept falling at the other end, his presence ensured that India were able to put up a competitive total in the first innings.
Rohit Sharma stitched up a crucial partnership with Ajinkya Rahane after Kohli was dismissed for a duck. The duo added 162 runs for the 4th wicket and took India out of danger in this Test match.
India won the match by 317 runs. Although Ravichandran Ashwin was awarded the Player of the Match award due to his all-round brilliance in the game, Rohit's century in the first innings set the tone for a crucial victory after India had lost the first Test of the series.
#3 176 vs South Africa at Vishakapatnam, 2019
The team management decided to promote Rohit Sharma to the top of the order after KL Rahul's persistent failures in red ball cricket over the previous18 months. This was his first Test as an opener in the format, and boy, did he step up!
After winning the toss and batting first, both openers managed to play out the initial half hour without any errors. After the wicket had nothing left in it for the pace bowlers, Rohit made the most of his opportunity.
He punished the South African bowlers for the smallest of errors in line and length. His ODI-like approach helped the team in setting up a high first innings total. He particularly dominated the inexperienced spinners - Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy.
Although South Africa put up a fight with the bat in the first innings, they collapsed in the 4th innings run-chase. India won the Test by 203 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Rohit Sharma won the Player of the Match award in his very first Test as an opener after scoring twin hundreds, one in each innings.
#2 177 vs West Indies at Eden Gardens, 2013
Rohit Sharma made his Test debut at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the last Test series of Sachin Tendulkar's illustrious career. He showed the world what the hype was all about regarding him in his debut itself.
West Indies scored 234 runs in the first innings and managed to reduce India to 83/5 after a top-order collapse. The debutant then stuck around with captain MS Dhoni in a crucial 73-run partnership for the 6th wicket.
He was not anxious to score runs, as he realized that run scoring in Tests won't be easy compared to white-ball cricket. Rohit rotated the strike extremely well against Shillingford, who bowled well in that innings.
The Mumbai batsman played some beautiful strokes in this knock - hitting 23 fours and 1 six in his 6 hours-long stay at the crease. His 280-run partnership with Ashwin for the 8th wicket ensured that India were able to take a considerable first-innings lead.
India won the Test by an innings and 51 runs, and Rohit Sharma was awarded the Player of the Match award for his match-defining efforts.
#1 212 vs South Africa at Ranchi, 2019
India came into the third Test of the series after winning their first two matches comprehensively against the Rainbow Nation. Rohit silenced all his critics after his performances in the first game of the series. However, he wasn't done yet.
India lost three early wickets - Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Kohli within the first 16 overs, on a track that assisted the pacers early on.
The opening batsman negotiated a top-class spell against the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. This knock showed that he was a different batter now against the moving ball.
Rohit then cashed in on the inexperienced South African spinners - George Linde and Piedt. Along with Ajinkya Rahane, he managed to take the team from 43/3 to 224/3 at the end of the first day's play.
Rahane brought up his hundred the next day, while Rohit reached his maiden double ton in the format. India scored 497 runs in the first innings and won the Test by an innings and 202 runs. He was adjudged both the Player of the Match as well as the Player of the Series.
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