 "IND vs ENG 3rd Test: Rohit Sharma hits 11th Test century in Rajkot")
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma smashed his 11th Test century during the first day of the third Test against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, formerly known as Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15. With this century, Rohit, who had not touched even the fifty-run mark in his last eight Test innings, ended the drought of big Test runs.
Rohit's century came at an opportune moment, given he has been the only experienced batter in the line-up courtesy of Virat Kohli's withdrawal from the five-match Test series.
His century also allowed India to come out of the precarious situation - 33/3 -- in the first session of India vs England 3rd Test on Day 1.
Rohit dropped by Root, saved by DRS
Though Rohit reached the milestone, his innings were not as fluent as it would have been in the past.
36-year-old Sharma, featuring in his 57th Test, was gifted a chance at 29 by former England captain Joe Root, who dropped a simple chance at slip off the bowling of Tom Hartley.
A few overs later, the right-handed batter was given out leg before wicket off the bowling of James Anderson, and it was a DRS call that found a bat-pad angle instead of pad-bat, picked by the on-field umpire. This led to him surviving again.
Rohit utilised those two chances and reached his fifty just before Lunch.
Check India vs England 3rd Test Day 2 live score and match updates here
Check IND vs ENG 3rd Test full scorecard from Rajkot here
March towards the century
The Indian skipper reached only his second hundred in 19 innings in the last 12 months. After fifty, Rohit picked the odd balls out from the English spinners and played big shots. He hit two sixes and three fours to enter the 90s.
| Rohit Sharma’s centuries in Test cricket | |||
| Score | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
| 177 | v West Indies | Eden Gardens | 6 Nov 2013 |
| 111* | v West Indies | Wankhede | 14 Nov 2013 |
| 102* | v Sri Lanka | Nagpur | 24 Nov 2017 |
| 176 | v South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2 Oct 2019 |
| 127 | v South Africa | Visakhapatnam | 2 Oct 2019 |
| 212 | v South Africa | Ranchi | 19 Oct 2019 |
| 161 | v England | Chennai | 13 Feb 2021 |
| 127 | v England | The Oval | 2 Sep 2021 |
| 120 | v Australia | Nagpur | 9 Feb 2023 |
| 103 | v West Indies | Roseau | 12 Jul 2023 |
| 100* | v England | Rajkot | 15 Feb 2024 |
Rohit hits second-most sixes in Tests for India
Rohit, while getting to his hundred, also became second India with most number of sixes in a Test cricket. He overcame former India captain MS Dhoni's 78 sixes in Tests. Virender Sehwag has hit the most sixes in Tests for India. He has 91 to his name.
| Most sixes by Indian batter in Test cricket | ||
| Player | Number of sixes | innings |
| Virender Sehwag | 91 | 180 |
| Rohit Sharma | 79 | 97 |
| MS Dhoni | 78 | 144 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 69 | 329 |
| Kapil Dev | 61 | 184 |