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A century is a priceless entity. Everyone is aware of its importance and attraction. Everyone wanted to talk about the next one when Sachin Tendulkar was travelling the world with 99 of them in his pocket. That would have been okay, but he was trying not to think about it. Every time he sat down to breakfast and they served him tea with a side of knowing looks, it got awkward.
The hundred is the most identifiable aspect of our sport, to the point that other players have discovered a way to capitalise on it in order to create that incredibly delightful interaction.
India recently concluded a Test match that defied all of that. Yashasvi Jaiswal not only had the opportunity to raise three figures in Kanpur, but he did so more quickly than anyone else from his nation. He had the option to walk it in singles. Bangladesh had completely widened the pitch. Rather, he opted for the ramp shot after spotting a small opening at third. He didn’t have many reasons to be in such a rush right now. But the one he did have was really powerful.
KL Rahul’s average going into this series was 34.08. His one century at home is a casualty of grand schemes to exploit spin-friendly circumstances. He may have enjoyed spending the night at Green Park. Time at the crease is a fantastic thing, and the pitch wasn’t doing anything. It has the power to remove any uncertainty you have ever had—both inside and externally. It merely calms you down.
India would have achieved a draw and gained some batting practise under a less daring skipper and a less cooperative team, without the pressure of World Test Championship points and against superior opponents.
“Rohit walked out and just tonked the first ball for a six,” Ashwin said. “So when you walk the talk, I think obviously the dressing room doesn’t have any other choice but to follow that same pattern. We had 50 runs out of three overs. There was no looking back after that.”
68 off 43 was Rahul’s score. He was charging and reverse sweeping by the fifteenth ball, having already established two boundaries in the opening ten.
The captains of India have changed the team’s style of play on numerous occasions. They were forced out of their pessimism by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. Their first world title was secured by Kapil Dev. Waiting for another one was halted by MS Dhoni. Making evil look good was done by Sourav Ganguly. The curse of ODI chasing was broken by Rahul Dravid.” Right versus wrong, Anil Kumble stood up. Fast-bowling revolution started by Virat Kohli. With the way that he is attacking a fundamental principle of Indian cricket, Rohit may be surpassing them all.
Batting entails large scoring. If you leave for a duck, you’re nearly forgiven, but if you make a start and then abandon it, you’re not worth anything at all. In reality, Rohit hails from the one location in India where this is essentially gospel. He is a Mumbai khadoos, which implies that if you have a bat in your hand, you have an obligation to stay put come rain or shine, starvation or plague. It is your duty to score those magnificent, fatherly hundreds that completely overwhelm the opposition and leave them wondering how on earth they got up in the first place. His three fifty-over century-plus scores in cricket are testament to this approach and its far-reaching effects.
Rohit aimed to leverage and weaponise that in 2023. Thus, at a home World Cup, a man who had before lined up to bat for the entire 50 overs displayed an entirely other side to himself. He felt that was the best option for India to win, therefore he continued to hit from ball one. By then he had discovered powerful allies to support his convictions.
Green Park is not a model by any means. India will not be scoring at nine runs an over when they go to Australia. But even so, for Rohit to convince his troops to follow him like that, with merely the prospect of a result, and for them to do it, is no minor feat. It has been a defining feature of his leadership in all formats. He helped Kohli evaluate the price he puts on his wicket in T20s. Since Jaiswal was anxious that his coming-of-age performances against England may jinx the opening, he shielded him. When Sarfaraz Khan made his debut for the national team in that same series, Rohit devoted an entire training session to watching him. He has been rewiring his generation and motivating the following to put their best foot forward.
Much tougher tests lie ahead: the Champions Trophy in February, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy beginning in November, and most likely the WTC final in July. India will need to delve deeply into each of them in different ways. They might fall short. It is possible. Still, they won’t pass away in suspense. They will seize any opportunity, no matter how small or ridiculous, and run with it. They can’t expect anything less from Rohit.