"I was prepared"- Rohit Sharma explains his approach on first day of second Test v England

Following his exquisite 161, Rohit Sharma said he was mentally well prepared for a turning track which helped him score big on the Chennai Test's first day.

Sharma also revealed he had specific training sessions which put him in good stead going into the second Test.

Team India finished day 1 on 300-6.

Batting wasn't easy on the Chennai track as spinners were getting good purchase from the start.

However, Rohit Sharma looked in control for most of his innings.

"We knew about how the pitch was prepared. We knew it was going to turn and so we had a good few training sessions before the game began. We trained according to what we were going to expect in the middle, So yeah, mentally before the game I was prepared for what I will be facing the once I get in, and I think the preparation really helped in terms of getting out there and playing shots," Sharma said in a virtual press conference.

Applause from the Chepauk crowd 👌Dressing room on its feet 👏A congratulatory hug from Ajinkya Rahane 👍Appreciation from all round for @ImRo45 as he completes a fine hundred in tough conditions. 🙌🙌 @Paytm #INDvENG #TeamIndia Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/Hr7Zk2kjNC pic.twitter.com/nWmQfH5Xem

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 13, 2021

Rohit Sharma made batting look easy while his other teammates had a hard time in the middle.

At one point, the 33-year-old was scoring more than run-a-ball. When Sharma was dismissed, India's score read 248, and he had scored 161 of those runs.

'You have to be proactive': Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma explained that he tries to be positive as he feels that playing proactively is the best way to deal with turning pitches.

The Indian opener used the sweep shot to good effect and talked about his approach.

"So basically using you feet a lot more, making sure you sweep the ball and those kinds of things when you play on turning pitches. You gotta be proactive. You should be on top of the bowler, making sure you are ahead of him was very crucial," said Sharma.

The opener further explained how he was able to determine which shots to play.

"So little adjustment based on that and understanding if the ball is turning how big whether it is bouncing or whether it is keeping low. Those were the things that I was thinking about before playing any shot," Sharma added.

Apart from the sweep, the 33-year-old used his feet to good effect, stepping out on 40 of the 170 balls he faced against spinners.

Given the way the pitch is behaving, the hosts should be confident as they already have 300 runs on the board.

All-rounder Axar Patel (5*) and Rishabh Pant (33*) will look to stretch India's score further when they come out to bat tomorrow.