Published 21:13 IST, February 13th 2021
Here's what Rohit Sharma told Rahane on day 1 of second Test to counter England spinners
After the day's play, Rohit Sharma revealed he had advised Rahane to counter the spin threat at Chepauk with the sweep shot that England used in the first Test
Coming back strong after a defeat in the first Test, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane led India's attack against England on day 1 of the second Test in Chennai. Having sustained three early blows, the duo stood strong to strike away the spin threat posed by Jack Leach and Moeen Ali, at a turning Chepauk pitch. Through the course of day 1, Rohit Sharma went on to notch up his 7th Test ton while Ajinkya Rahane brought up a gritty half-century taking India to 300/6 at stumps on Saturday. After the day's play, Rohit Sharma revealed he had advised Rahane to counter the spin threat at Chepauk with the sweep shot that England used in the first Test extensively to counter Ravichandran Ashwin and Shahbaz Nadeem.
Speaking at a press conference, Rohit Sharma revealed that he was constantly chatting with Rahane and were sharing words of advice to counter the bowlers. "We were constantly chatting about. When we were playing a seamer, Ajju was telling me that he was standing outside the crease so I could also do the same. When we were playing the spinners, I was sweeping them from the rough so even I told him that it is a good option to sweep because you can't get lbw. 2-3 balls that he played went into the air, so I told him that sweep will be a better option, might as well play that. It is a percentage shot on that pitch and the bowler bowling that line."
'Played some crucial knocks'
The swashbuckling opener also credited the duo's talk in the middle as a reason behind their mammoth partnership on day 1. Moreover, Sharma also backed Rahane's knock at the Chepauk today and remarked that there should be no questions against India's vice-captain. "He has done extremely well, played some crucial knocks. He has stepped up time and again whenever the team has needed him. Today also, it was a crucial partnership for us because we had lost three wickets before lunch. We have seen it many times that when the team has needed him, he has shown his batsmanship and scored runs in difficult times," Sharma said.
India dominate proceedings on Day 1
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, opener Rohit Sharma (161) and Ajinkya Rahane batted well on a difficult surface after the hosts had lost their top-order even before breaching the three-figure mark. After both the set batsmen were dismissed, it appeared as if India would suffer a batting collapse after Ravichandran Ashwin also followed with just 13 runs to his name. Nonetheless, wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant had other ideas as he went after the English bowlers. He is unbeaten at 33 including five boundaries and a maximum as India's scorecard reads 300/6 at stumps on Day 1. This is a must-win contest for Team India in order to stay alive in the four-match series. More importantly, the Virat Kohli-led side cannot afford to lose another match in this series as it will end their chances of playing the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
Updated 21:13 IST, February 13th 2021