Rohit Sharma has marked his ODI return in style during the Australian tour. After failing to perform well in the first ODI, Rohit went to dominated the bowlers in the second game. He notched up a brilliant half-century in the game,
Despite Rohit scoring 73 runs, the Indian team lost the game and the series. However, the Hitman now returns to the Sydney Cricket Ground for the third ODI match. This is also the venue where he has been dominant against the bowlers. Holding two half-centuries and a century in his last four innings here, fans will be having their eyes on Rohit in the next game.
1. India vs Australia, 1st ODI: 2019
Rohit Sharma last played a game at this venue back in 2019. It was during the India tour of Australia, the tour when the Indian team secured its first and only bilateral series win over Australia in Australia. Australia was batting first in this game, and they were able to set up a good total for the same.
The team scored 288 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, and India knew they would have to bring up something big for the chase. However, things didn’t start well for the team, with Shikhar Dhawan going for a duck and Virat Kohli going back for just three runs. But at this time, Rohit Sharma decided to partner with MS Dhoni to chase the target.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
The Hitman ended up scoring 133 runs off 129 balls in this game. Eventually, he lost his wicket to Marcus Stoinis, but the job was mostly done. Despite his great knock in the chase, the Indian team fell short of winning the game. Australia ended up winning it by 34 runs, as India started the series with a loss.
2. India vs Australia, 5th ODI: 2016
During the India tour of Australia 2016, Rohit Sharma played yet another fine knock at the SCG. Similar to the current series, the 2016 series also had the last game at Sydney. Australia had decided to bat first in this game, and the team ended up posting a mammoth total of 330 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.
David Warner and Mitchell Marsh brought up tons to help the team reach this total. For India, it looked a bit challenging to chase down the total. But Rohit Sharma took the centre stage, as he came down to open with Shikhar Dhawan. Both of them had an opening stand of 123 runs before Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
Rohit Sharma continued dominating the Australian bowlers, closing in on his century. Still, he missed the milestone by just one run, getting out on 99. Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni continued the run chase for the Indian team, as he scored 104 runs, and India won the game by 6 wickets.
3. India vs Australia, Semi-final: 2015 World Cup
In the only clash of his last four innings at the SCG, Rohit failed to score a half-century in the World Cup. This clash was between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and the stakes were high. India went against the hosts of the World Cup in the semi-final clash, eager to make it to the finals.
Australia batted first in this game and set the tone for their innings. Steven Smith scored a century, while Aaron Finch got dismissed for 81 runs, to help Australia score 328 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. India had to chase down this massive target to reach the finals of the tournament against New Zealand.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
But the Indian batsmen had no answers to the Australian bowling line-up. Rohit Sharma scored just 34 runs off 48 balls before losing his wicket to Mitchell Johnson. Eventually, India was bowled out for 233 runs, allowing Australia to win the game and reach the finals.
4. India vs Australia, 1st Final: Commonwealth Bank Series 2008
Rohit Sharma had his fourth last appearance at the Sydney Cricket Ground back in 2008. This was during the Commonwealth Bank Series, when India and Australia faced each other in the finals. And it also became the time when the Hitman dominated for India even at the middle order.
Australia had batted first in this game, as the Indian bowlers took the upper hand. Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh took 2 wickets each, as Australia was restricted to just 239 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. India stepped out to chase, and Sachin Tendulkar gave a strong start to the team.
Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo
But eventually, wickets kept on falling and India stood at the score of 87/3. This is when Rohit Sharma stepped to the crease and helped Sachin Tendulkar in the chase. A young Rohit Sharma scored 66 runs off 87 balls before losing his wicket to James Hopes. However, the Indian team still won the game by 6 wickets.