Rohit Sharma’s Best Knocks in Test Format: India’s all-format Captain, Rohit Sharma has developed his dominance not only in the white-ball format but also in the red-ball format. Over the years he has developed himself as one of the best openers of the Indian Team across all formats. But today Rohit Sharma achieved a special feat in the Test format during WI vs IND 2nd Test. He became the second fastest Indian batter to complete 2000 Test runs as an opener. His exceptional skills & determination have displayed his prowess as a player. Not only this during the process he also became the fifth highest run-scorer in the Test format surpassing legendary MS Dhoni.
On this Special Occasion let’s have a look at some of Rohit Sharma’s best knocks in Test format:
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177 runs off 301 balls in the debut Test against West Indies in 2013
After proving his mettle in limited overs, Rohit Sharma got the chance to create his mark in the longest format of Cricket. And we didn’t know that the ‘hitman’ will make an impact in his debut match itself. When Rohit Sharma’s best knocks in Test format are talked about his debut Test against West Indies is a sureshot in the list. India was playing the home Test series against West Indies in 2013 which was also Sachin Tendulkar’s last Test. The match was being played in Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Coming to the fixture, West Indies were having the upper hand over India as they scored 234 runs in the first innings & then managed to reduce India to 83-5 putting them under pressure. With the top order failing to deliver the onus came on the debutant to step up & show the world what he is capable of. Debutant Rohit did let this opportunity go from his hands as he along with then Captain MS Dhoni stitched a crucial 73-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Though he was just making his debut the way he was rotating his strike was exceptional. He played some breathtaking shots by smashing 23 fours & one six in his innings of 177 runs off 301 balls. Rohit stayed on the crease for more than six hours & further stitched a 280-run stand with R Ashwin for eight wickets. It was Rohit’s grit that helped India to take a good lead in the first Innings. Later India emerged victorious by a huge margin of an innings & 51 runs. Rohit Sharma the debutant was facilitated with a special ‘Man of the Match’ award for his match-winning knock & exemplary efforts.
2) 212 against South Africa in Ranchi Test in 2019
When Rohit Sharma’s Best Knocks in Test format is discussed how can we forget his blistering knock of 212 runs in the Ranchi Test in 2019? It was the third Test fixture of the Test series against South Africa & team Blue was brimming with confidence after clinching the first two Tests of the series. But India couldn’t replicate the performance they have thought of & lost early wickets in the form of Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Kohli within 16 overs of the fixture. The pitch which assisted pacers to the fullest saw the collapse of the Indian batting order like a pack of cards. But then Rohit managed to tackle Rabada & Nortje’s fierce pace attack. He joined hands with Rahane & the duo took India from a dire situation of 43-3 to 224-3 by the end of day one’s play.
Rohit went on to score his century on day 2 & didn’t stop there as he went on to add one more ton in his kitty. This marked Rohit’s first double ton in the longest format of cricket. It was only because of Rohit’s heroics that India went on to score 497 runs in the first innings & 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.
3) 176 runs against South Africa in 2019 at Vishakapatnam
Rohit Sharma’s match-saving knock of 176 runs against South Africa in 2019 is surely one of his best knocks in test format. It was the phase when KL Rahul failed to prove his prowess at the top order & management decided to hand Rohit the position of an opener. And the prolific player who was here to stay laid the foundation of his successful career as a Test opener. Initially beginning the innings at a slow pace, Rohit speeden up his scoring when the pacers couldn’t do the trick with the ball. He incorporated his limited overs skills in Test format & punished the Proteas bowlers for the smallest of errors in their line & length. He dominated the inexperienced spinners such as Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy.
South Africa managed to put a fightback in the first innings but they collapsed in the 4th innings run chase. And then India won the Test by 203 runs & took a major 1-0 lead in the Test series. Rohit Sharma again won the player of the match for his match-saving knock. And it also marked his first award as an opener.
4) 161 run knock against England at Chepauk in 2021
The Chepauk knock of 2021 occupies a Sureshot spot in the list of Rohit Sharma’s best knocks in Test format. This was unarguably Rohit’s best performance as it came at that point when the team needed Rohit’s service the most. Indian team won the toss & choose to bat first on a wicket that is spinners-friendly.
Playing on such a spin-heavy pitch was a crucial task & Rohit did that beautifully & effortlessly. He played a counter-attacking knock just like the limited overs format & ensured India keep scoring at a good pace. Though wickets kept falling, Rohit at the other end meant that India post a competitive total in the first innings. Rohit & Ajinkya did the rebuilding work after Virat’s dismissal & stabilized India’s innings. The duo added 162 runs for the fourth wicket & removed India from danger. It was Rohit-Ajinkya’s innings that helped India to win the match by 317 runs. Though it was R Ashwin who won the Player of the Match award due to his all-round show, Rohit’s century in the first innings laid the foundation of India’s victory. It was only because of Rohit & Ashwin’s heroics with bat & the ball that India could outclass England in the Chepauk fixture.
5) 127 run knock against England at the Oval, 2021
This was the phase when Rohit Sharma was facing an issue of not being able to convert starts into big scores in an away series. He batted extra-ordinarily in the first three Tests of the series amassing 83 runs at the Lord’s Test & 59 in the Headingley Test. But the much-awaited away century was yet to come. The fixture started & India gave a lead of 99 runs to the opponents after the first innings. And now the onus was on the opening batters to give India a great start if making a comeback in the Test was their motto.
The opener Rohit Sharma along with KL Rahul gave India an ideal start by scoring 83 runs for the second wicket. He ensured that he didn’t play extreme strokes as the pacers were constantly hitting at good lengths in overcast conditions. Then the unexpected happen as the current India Captain brought up his first overseas century in style hitting Moeen Ali for a six at long-on. He laid the base for a competitive target by doing the groundwork for middle & lower order batters. India capitalized on the start & set a target of 368 runs for England to chase. The hosts failed to chase a decent target & lost the fixture by 157 runs. Rohit’s valuable knock helped India to take a formidable 2-1 lead in the five-match Test Series.
6) 120 runs off 212 balls against Australia in 2023
Coming out of a prolonged lean phase, Rohit finally brought up his much-awaited century in the first innings of the opening Test of the BGT 2023. It also marked his ninth Test century. The fixture between India & Australia was a thrilling affair. On a pitch that doesn’t support batters, Rohit managed to bring up a rewarding ton mixing caution with aggression.
Others failed to deliver on the raw pitch but it was Rohit who made the perfect selection of shots & dealt with low bounce. He returned with impressive scores of 120 runs off 212 balls with 15 fours & two sixes. His perfect knock helped India to surpass Australia’s first-innings total of 177 runs. He stayed till the end & batted with five different batters. Todd Murphy wreaked havoc by registering five-fer in Test debut but his tactics failed in front of Rohit Sharma. As a result, India took a huge lead of 144 runs by the end of the second day helping India to a glorious triumph in the Opening BGT 2023 Test.
These are some of Rohit Sharma’s power-pack best knocks in Test Cricket. We are sure as time will progress he will add more such powerful knocks to his kitty. If you remember any such incredible knock of ‘Hitman’ then share with us in the comments sections below. We would love to add more to our list!
Also read, Rohit Sharma completes 2000 Test Runs as an Opener
