On a surface where 811 runs were scored, courtesy of centuries from five different batters, Rohit Sharma’s 101 proved to be more of an appetiser before Shubman Gill’s main course. The former India captain smashed his 35th ODI century and added 255 for the opening wicket, the ninth century partnership between him and Gill, as India chased down a record 406 against West Indies in Guwahati to take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
However, more than Rohit’s knock of 101, it was his celebration after completing the hundred that got the world talking. As Rohit took the single that brought up his three-digit score, he hopped and jogged his way to the non-striker’s end, an unusual celebration for someone who generally likes to keep it low-key when reaching milestones.
Deep Dive
What was the unusual celebration that Rohit Sharma performed after his century against West Indies?
Why did Herschelle Gibbs criticize Rohit Sharma's century celebration?
How did Rohit Sharma contribute to India's record chase against West Indies?
While Rohit chose to keep the reason a secret, Herschelle Gibbs felt it was a “stinker”. The former South Africa opener said he would be messaging Rohit because he couldn’t make head nor tail of it.
“Gonna message Rohit and tell him his 100 celebration was a stinker. What was that!” Gibbs posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Gonna message Rohit and tell him his 100 celebration was a stinker. What was that!” Gibbs posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}Gibbs’ takes on Rohit aren’t uncommon. The two shared the Mumbai Indians dressing room in 2012 and were involved in a century partnership against Kolkata Knight Riders, and Gibbs is believed to share a banter-filled bond with Rohit. In fact, last year, Gibbs called Rohit technically superior to Virat Kohli.
“Rohit was always more technically correct than Virat, but Virat’s desire to dominate, especially in white-ball format, is a major difference between the two batters,” he had said.
Before that, Gibbs had referred to Rohit as ‘Kepke’, a nickname that left the internet baffled.
It was Rohit’s second century in three matches, following his hundred at Lord’s against England in July. With question marks surrounding Rohit’s future, Tuesday’s surface was just what the doctor ordered, and the 39-year-old made merry. After conceding 405, India needed to get off the blocks, and that’s exactly what Rohit and Gill offered. Batting in the humidity wasn’t easy, but Rohit, in particular, made it look extremely comfortable.
Rohit on his knock
“The wicket was good. We just wanted to continue to keep batting. We were not thinking too much about the scoreboard, to be honest. 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 partnership, and that's what we did. Gill was fantastic on the other side, very much in control of his batting the entire innings, and to stay not out till the end was fantastic to see as well,” he said.
“You've got to keep telling yourself that do not throw it away, because conditions are challenging here, but that's where I wanted to just bring my experience of playing for so many years. 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. We had a very good partnership at the top, and that pretty much sealed the game for us.”