India vs Sri Lanka 2023

'The lion is back and roaring' - Fans ecstatic as Rohit Sharma scores blistering 83 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka

Indian captain Rohit Sharma scored a blistering 83 off 67 balls against Sri Lanka in the first ODI at Guwahati.

author-image
Rohit Kumar
New Update
Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)

After clinching the T20I series against Sri Lanka, the ‘Men-in-Blue’ took the field in the first ODI of the World Cup year at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bowl first. Indian team management took the tough call of dropping Ishan Kishan who scored the fastest double hundred in ODIs in his last match against Bangladesh and went ahead with Shubman Gill.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Gill walked out to the middle to give a blistering start to their side. Rohit got off the mark with a boundary in the fourth ball of the very first over bowled by Kasun Rajitha. He further scored consecutive boundaries on the first two balls of the third over and got his innings going.

At the other end, Gill also got his innings off to a flying start as he scored three consecutive fours in the fourth over by Dilshan Madushanka. The Indian captain also wasn’t much behind as he smashed the first six of the match against Kasun Rajitha in the seventh over. He further launched the ball into the crowd once more in the same over and brought up the fifty-run stand for the first wicket between him and Gill.

Seeing the captain in red-hot form, Gill took the backseat and let Rohit play the aggressor role. The veteran opener brought up his in 41 balls with a boundary against Wanindu Hasaranga. Gill also brought up his fifty in the 18th over and both openers decided to unleash their beast mode on the Sri Lankan bowlers. The partnership was finally ended on 143 as Shanaka trapped Gill in front of the stumps.

Rohit's century drought continues in ODI

While Gill departed on 70, Rohit was eyeing his 30th ODI hundred. However, his brilliant knock was ended on 83 as he chopped a delivery by Dilshan Madushanka back onto his stumps.

The Indian captain departed for a well-made 83 off 67 balls with the help of nine fours and three sixes in his innings. As a result, Rohit’s almost thee-year long wait for an ODI hundred continued with his last century coming against Australia on 19 January 2020. The 35-year-old has four fifty-plus scores in his last 12 ODI innings.

Meanwhile, Twitter was abuzz with reactions on Rohit Sharma’s incredible knock. Here are some of the Tweets:

Rohit Sharma Shubman Gill IND vs SL