'He was in a daze': Ravi Shastri recalls Rohit Sharma's dismissal on 83 in India-England 2021 Lord's Test
Ravi Shastri recalls Rohit's sublime 83 in India-England's 2021 Lord's Test
Virat Kohli-led India was on a roll in the five-match Test series versus England in the 2021 English summer. After missing out on going 1-0 up in the series opener -- with visitors needing only 157 more runs in pursuit of 209 rain completely washed out the final day's play -- Kohli & Co. took on Joe Root-led English camp in the second Test at Lord's.
On the first day, India were asked to bat first and ended the day at 276-3 riding on KL Rahul's 127 not out and Rohit Sharma's 83. While Rahul led the charge, Rohit also played his part with an impressive 126-run opening stand but missed out on scoring his maiden overseas ton, that too at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground. Thus, the then India head coach Ravi Shastri recently recalled Rohit's reaction after being dismissed on 83.
"When Rohit got out, he came back to the dressing room and just sat quietly on a table. He was in a daze. He just wanted that hundred. A special feeling for any player to get a hundred at Lord's. And you could see that he was really, really dejected. But he made up for it at The Oval," Shastri said on commentary during the second India-England ODIat Lord's on Thursday (July 14).
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Talking about the 2021 Lord's Test, Kohli-led India scored 364 and conceded a 27-run lead to Root's England as the then English captain scored a majestic 180. India, however, led the fight courtesy fifties from Ajinkya Rahane, Md Shami and vital knocks from Cheteshwar Pujara as well as Jasprit Bumrah to declare their second innings at 298-8, setting up a challenging 272-run target for the hosts on the final day.
England were bowled out for a paltry 120 to lose the clash by 151 runs. The five Tests, in 2021, ended with India being up by 2-1 before the final Test got rescheduled to 2022 due to Covid cases in the Indian camp.
In 2022, Jasprit Bumrah led India -- in now all-format skipper Rohit's absence -- in the remaining Test, where Ben Stokes-led England beat the visitors by seven wickets as the five Tests ended in a 2-2 stalemate.