After 101 In India’s 406 Chase, Rohit Keeps Celebration A Mystery

GUWAHATI-Veteran India opener Rohit Sharma described the uncharacteristic celebration that followed his 35th ODI century against the West Indies at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati as a deeply personal moment, saying it was strictly “for myself.”

Rohit smashed a brilliant 101 off 75 balls to help India complete a successful 406-run chase against the West Indies, while sharing a 255-run opening partnership with captain Shubman Gill, who scored an unbeaten 223. After reaching his century, Rohit did a high-knee jog while completing the single before giving a light raise of his bat.

“I keep that celebration for myself. Ah, it’s for me. It’s for me. Some things are just meant to be with you. It’s not to be shared. So yeah, that was for me,” Rohit said after the match.

He also shared a light-hearted exchange with India teammate Ravindra Jadeja, who asked him about the celebration on the field.

“He was asking me what that was about. I said I’ll tell you in the dressing room. It’s for me. But he was quite innovative. He wanted me to come and slide and jump, and that’s how he wanted me to celebrate. I said, ‘Man, after 50 overs of fielding and batting almost for 25-30 overs, I was never going to do that,'” he said.

Reflecting on India’s 406-run chase, Rohit said the key was not to become overwhelmed by the target but to focus on building partnerships.

“We were just trying to play according to the merit of the ball, and we kept stitching the partnership, which was, I think, when you’re chasing a target like that, you need to keep stitching big partnerships, and that’s what we did,” he said.

Rohit was all praise for opening partner Gill, who remained unbeaten to guide India to an eight-wicket victory.

Batting for nearly 30 overs after spending 50 overs on the field in oppressive humidity required considerable physical and mental effort, which Rohit attributed to concentration and experience.

“You just don’t want to give it that easily; try and stay as much as possible in the game, and we knew that the pitch was good, and we needed big runs from the top order, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. (IANS)