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NEW DELHI: When Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl against Australia in the third Test at the Gabba in Brisbane of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he became the second Indian captain to do so after Sourav Ganguly.
Sourav Ganguly had also asked Australia to bat first and it came at the same venue during the 2003/04 tour.
And like always, the then Indian captain was put under tremendous pressure by the Aussies. And now, Rohit is also under tremendous pressure as he is going through a lean patch with the bat.
IND vs AUS: Rohit Sharma has had a terrible time with the bat in whites
Rohit is woefully out of form and has gone above 20 runs just twice in his past 12 Test innings with only one half-century, and eight single-digit scores.
With scores of 3 and 6, the experiment of Rohit batting at No. 6 failed miserably in the pink-ball Test at Adelaide.
Rohit just needs to look at Ganguly’s knock at The Gabba that day when the then Indian captain led from the front with a heroic performance.
Even before the Indian cricket team embarked on their 2003-04 tour to Australia, the mind games had begun and most of the banter, as usual, came from the Aussies. There were talks of ‘chin-music’ being dished out to the Indians, especially to Ganguly, who had ruffled quite a few Aussie feathers during the 2001 series in India.
The desperate Aussies were gunning for revenge and with the first Test at their most favoured venue, The Gabba, they were expected to have the upper hand when Ganguly walked out for the toss with Steve Waugh, who was playing his last series.
Play on the first three days was hampered by rain. Zaheer Khan took 5 wickets, but Justin Langer’s 121 took the hosts to 323 in their first innings. India were in a spot of bother at 62/3 when Ganguly walked out to bat.
Ganguly drove through the covers, cut through point, pulled to mid-wicket, flicked through mid-on, all the shots that bore the elegance of a left-handed batter. The Indian captain reached his fifty off 74 balls and a century off 135 deliveries.
Ganguly’s 146-run stand with VVS Laxman (75) for the fifth wicket was notched up in 206 balls and his 144-run knock was studded with 18 hits to the fence. Such was the class of Ganguly’s knock that it drew applause even from some of the Aussie players.
The Test ended in a draw, but that day at the Gabba, Ganguly truly led India from the front with the bat and sent out a strong message to the Aussies that India were not going to be pushovers.
Ganguly’s 144 still remain the highest score by an opposition captain at the Gabba.
Rohit is also renowned for his wide range of cricketing shots, which make him one of the most elegant and destructive batters in modern cricket.
Rohit’s ability to mix elegance with power and his knack for shot selection make him a master of both orthodox and innovative stroke play. His pull shot and lofted extra-cover drive are often considered among the finest in the sport.
Given his track record and temperament, Rohit has shown that he can bounce back strongly, and with the right approach, he can regain his best form and confidence.
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