Rohit Sharma last scored an international hundred during the Oval Test against England in September, while he last reached three figures in ODIs in January 2020 against Australia. The first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday saw him perish for a 38-ball 34 as Blair Tickner broke a 60-run stand between the skipper and Shubman Gill.
Speaking on Star Sports, Manjrekar noted that big hundreds have evaded Rohit in recent times, but couldn’t figure out why despite being in good rhythm. Nevertheless, he believes the milestone is not too far away.
He added that as long as other Indian players were putting up high scores, Sharma has the time to find his elusive hundred.
The preceding series against Sri Lanka also saw the 35-year-old miss out on a hundred after getting a couple of good starts. He got scores of 83, 17, and 42 in three innings against Sri Lanka before throwing them away.
“I don’t see any problem with the way he is hitting the ball” - Sanjay Manjrekar
The Indian veteran also observed how precise the right-hander’s judgment outside off-stump was before a skier to mid-on sealed his exit.
The hosts set New Zealand 350 to win after electing to bat first. The Kiwis collapsed to 131-6 before staging a remarkable comeback but fell 12 runs short in the end to concede a series lead. Shubman Gill won the Player of the Match award for his 208-run knock.
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