IND v ENG 2021: "The return of the king!"- Twitterati erupts after Rohit Sharma's blistering 64

Rohit Sharma was back to his belligerent best in the 5th T20I against England as he smashed 64 runs off just 34 balls. The 33-year-old looked in stunning form as he clobbered the England bowlers all around the park.

Rohit Sharma generally likes to take his time at the beginning of his innings and then paces it brilliantly towards the end. However, this time he came out all guns blazing and caught the visitors napping.

Fans react to Rohit Sharma's masterclass

Although he couldn't convert his start into a hundred, fans on Twitter went gaga over Rohit Sharma's sensational knock. This also ensured that he added an incredible 94 runs with skipper Virat Kohli for the first wicket.

Here is what the fans had to say about Rohit's knock as well as the partnership:

Rohit Sharma - Virat Kohli added 94 runs from just 8 overs - best opening partnership in this series - It was just a show from Hitman. pic.twitter.com/fXNp9NelNo
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 20, 2021

Can’t be a better opening combo on the eye than @imVkohli & @ImRo45 !!! Could easily match @virendersehwag & @sachin_rt if they stick with this combo ... #INDvENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 20, 2021

Rohit Sharma becomes the second leading run-scorer in T20 International - one of the best in this generation.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 20, 2021

Rohit Sharma is out for 64. He gets an inside edge and it ricochets into the stumps. Ben Stokes gets the wicket. But it was a brilliant innings by the Hitman. So exciting to watch. Played some crazy good shots. Great seeing him and Kohli open together.🇮🇳🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#INDvENG
— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) March 20, 2021

149 kph and 151 kph from Mark Wood but both Rohit Sharma sends to the boundary rope. Hitman is here.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 20, 2021

Kohli is visionary. Picked the best view to watch Rohit Sharma masterclass. #INDvENG
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) March 20, 2021

Nothing gets better than this.
Watching Rohit and Virat the two greats opening together and just smashing opposition bowlers.
We are very fortunate. 💙
Most runs in T20Is
1.Virat Kohli
2.Rohit Sharma#INDvsENG #RohitSharma #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/QIF3gVui4T
— ☞GAURAV☜ (@igaurav28) March 20, 2021

No one can stop him when Rohit Sharma is in mood ❤️#INDvsENG #Hitman @ImRo45

Action. Reaction pic.twitter.com/a03F0FQGCL
— Vinay shetty (@ImVinayShetty45) March 20, 2021

9️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ T20 runs 🙌
.
1st player to open 🇮🇳’s account in a T20I match with a 6️⃣🔥
.#RohitSharma #INDvENG #IndianCricketTeam #Valimai pic.twitter.com/OjQnVjhP60
— Raja Samson (@RajaSamson9) March 20, 2021

🔥🔥 @ImRo45 #INDvENG #rohitsharma pic.twitter.com/ehzPrmO8Sp
— Raj (@PremRaj184) March 20, 2021

Rohit Sharma was rested for the first two games and looked to be a bit rusty in the 3rd as well as the 4th T20I. Having not played competitive white-ball cricket for a long time, the 33-year-old seemed to be struggling to adapt to the pace of the shortest format.

However, he looked in ominous touch in the series finale. This allowed Kohli to get his eye in and the skipper is now looking well-set to score big. With contributions from the in-form Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, the hosts will be looking to cross the 200-run mark.

With this fearsome duo at the top, there is a debate over whether this should be Team India's opening combination even at the T20 World Cup. The calmness of Virat Kohli coupled with Rohit's hard-hitting, seems to be the answer for the Men in Blue.

India have already crossed the 140-run mark with seven overs to go. This is exactly the brand of cricket that Kohli was talking about before the series. It will be interesting to see whether the Men in Blue stick to this combination at the showpiece event too.

Published 20 Mar 2021, 20:35 IST