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Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill saw off the new ball as India got off to a good start in their first innings in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney.
In response to Australia’s first-innings total of 338, Rohit Sharma added 70 runs for the opening wicket with Shubman Gill before perishing for 26 off 77 balls when he chipping one straight back at Josh Hazlewood.
Shubman Gill, on the other hand, went on to register his maiden Test fifty in only his third innings. However, he fell soon after for 50 off 101 when he nicked Pat Cummins straight to gully.
Four interesting stats regarding India's opening-wicking stand in Sydney
Although India would be disappointed with both the openers squandering their wickets after getting starts, the duo’s opening stand brought to the fore India’s struggles at the top of the order in Test cricket.
Here are four significant stats regarding Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s opening partnership at the SCG.
#1 First 50+ opening stand for India in 14 innings
The 70-run opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill was India’s first half-century stand in Test matches after 13 innings.
The last one was between Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal against South Africa in Vizag in October 2019. The next best before Friday’s stand was 30 between Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal in Christchurch in March 2020.
#2 First instance of both openers lasting 20 overs outside Asia since December 2010
As already mentioned before, Rohit Sharma put on 70 runs with Shubman Gill for the opening wicket to provide the visitors a good platform to put up a decent total on the board.
It marked the first time and Indian opening pair lasted 20 overs in a Test match outside Asia.
The last opening pair to do so was Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the second innings of the Centurion Test. Their partnership lasted 29.3 overs and came 92 innings ago.
#3 India’s first 50+ away opening stand after 17 innings
The 70-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill on Friday was India’s first half-century stand away from home after 17 innings.
The last instance of Indian openers featuring in a 50+ stand abroad came when Murali Vijay and KL Rahul added 63 runs in India’s famous win in Adelaide in December 2018.
#4 Shubman Gill becomes the fourth youngest Indian opener to score a half-century outside Asia
Following his 101-ball 50, Shubman Gill (21 years and 122 days) became the fourth youngest Indian opener to register a half-century outside Asia. Current Indian coach Ravi Shastri is the youngest to do so. He scored a fifty in England in 1982 when he was 20 years and 44 days old.
Madhav Apte is second on the list; he scored a fifty in West Indies in 1952/53 when he was 20 years and 108 days old. Next comes the man whom Gill replaced in the current series: Prithvi Shaw, who was 20 years and 112 days old when he scored a fifty in New Zealand in 2019-20.
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