Form is temporary, class is permanent. The sport of cricket continues to prove this saying time and again. ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma smashed his 33rd ODI century in the third and final match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday as the 28-year-old issued a statement, putting the world on notice and confirming he has enough fire inside him to keep on going until the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The former India captain brought up the milestone off the bowling of Adam Zampa on the final ball of the 33rd over. What made the feat all the more memorable was the fact that he had his long-time partner-in-crime, Virat Kohli, at the other end. The two stalwarts rolled the clock back as the duo put on a vintage partnership, piling the pressure on the hosts in the chase of 237.
As soon as he brought the ton, Rohit just raised his bat to acknowledge the warm applause from the Sydney crowd. The modern-day great did not remove his helmet, although he did receive a warm embrace from Kohli. Head coach Gautam Gambhir also gave a standing ovation to Rohit as soon as the right-hander brought up the milestone.
Both Kohli and Rohit let out a huge smile as the duo went to have drinks after the 33rd over was completed. Just a few minutes earlier, Kohli had also gone past a half-century, and en route, he became the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs, surpassing former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.
With this century, Rohit also became the batter with the most tons by an overseas batter in Australia. He now has six ODI tons Down Under, surpassing the five registered by Kohli and Sangakkara. This was also Rohit’s 50th international ton across all formats. This was the 9th ODI century registered by the Hitman against Australia.
‘Vintage Rohit’
Ever since India came out to chase the target of 237, Rohit was at his absolute best as he took down Mitchell Starc inside the powerplay. Shubman Gill lost his wicket to Josh Hazlewood, but Rohit found support in Kohli, and the duo frustrated the hosts by mixing caution with aggression.
RoKo charged for quick singles, and the duo were up to the task in terms of dispatching the loose deliveries for boundaries. In the end, Rohit and Kohli remained unbeaten on 121 and 74 as India chased the target of 237 with nine wickets in hand.
The century by Rohit will definitely ease pressure on him, considering all the chatter around him. The knock by Kohli also came as a respite since he registered back-to-back ducks in the opening two ODIs. The duo formed an unbeaten stand of 168 runs for the second wicket.
Heading into the series against Australia, there was intense speculation about Rohit’s future and whether he would play the 2027 World Cup, considering he only plays one format.
The series opener saw Rohit losing his wicket for just eight runs, but the opening batter bounced back strongly as he played a knock of 73 in the second match in Adelaide.
The series between India and Australia was Rohit’s first international assignment after the Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. Before the tournament got underway, Rohit sweated it out in Mumbai as he put in the hard yards alongside his close friend Abhishek Nayar.
Rohit was also seen practising at Shivaji Park in Mumbai as he prepared for bouncy and pacy conditions in Australia. Fair to say, all his hard work paid off in the end.