'Not going to be easy': Rohit Sharma's honest confession after Sydney ODI win

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma smashed his 50th international hundred, while Virat Kohli played a time-bending knock in what could be their final outing in Australia, guiding India to a commanding nine-wicket victory in the third ODI on Saturday.


After Harshit Rana and the Indian bowlers restricted Australia to a modest 236, Rohit (121 not out) and Kohli (74 not out) put together a 168-run partnership off just 170 balls for the second wicket, steering India to 237 for one in 38.3 overs.

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Rohit finished as the highest run-getter of the series, scoring 202 runs in three matches at an average of 101, and was named Player of the Series.


"That's what you expect in Australia, it's not going to be easy. You got to understand the situation. Haven't played for a long time, had a good prep coming here. We couldn't win the series but we still take a lot of positives," Rohit said after the match.

"There'll be a lot of learnings for the youngsters. When I came for the first time, how the seniors helped up. It's our job to pass on the message. Never easy to travel abroad and play cricket. The guys are pretty talented, you need to have some game-plan.

"I still go back to the basics of playing and that's something I need to pass on to these guys. I love playing in Australia. In Sydney, I have a good memory, great place and great crowd. I love doing what I do and I hope continuing to do that," Rohit said.

Although Australia won the three-match series 2-1, Rohit and Kohli gave the ecstatic Sydney crowd exactly what they had come to see — a masterclass in stroke play that spared India the embarrassment of a whitewash.

Rohit’s innings was marked by fluency and authoritative shot-making, while Kohli’s knock displayed the precision of a mathematician solving a complex puzzle.

After skipper Shubman Gill departed following a 69-run opening stand, Rohit took charge of the chase in trademark fashion, bringing up his 33rd ODI century.

He now has 12 Test hundreds and five in T20Is, taking his overall tally to 50 across formats.


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