Rohit Sharma on Saturday lifted his home average to an all new level that leaves him only behind the greatest ever, Sir Don Bradman, in an elusive list, following his magnificent Test century in the second game against England on a tricky Chennai track.
Rohit scored his seventh Test century, en route to his fourth 150-plus knock before finishing with 161 runs on a turning track much like the one laid out in Pune during the 2017 Border-Gavaskar series. Making a sweeping statement against the English spinners, after taking a leaf out of Joe Root's strategy, Rohit became India's first centurion in 2021, lacing 18 boundaries and two sixes en route to his 231-ball knock.
With the knock, Rohit lifted his home average to 83.55 from 16 matches which places him only behind Bradman (98.22) on a list with batsmen who have at least scored 1500 runs at home. In his 23 innings on home soil, Rohit has scored 1504 runs with seven tons. The average also places him third on the list of highest batting average for a player (at least 20 innings) at a single nation. Only Bradman stands ahead of the India which his average of 102.84 in England and 98.22 in Australia. No other batsman averages more than Rohit in India.
Rohit, eventually undone by Jack Leach, also added a 162-run stand alongside Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 67 off 149. Only one other Indian pair has added more runs for the fourth wicket against England at home - Mohinder Amarnath and Mohammad Azharuddin who added a 190-run stand at the same venue in 1985.
India finished with 300 runs for the loss of six wickets at the end of day one in Chennai after opting to bat first. India lost Shubman Gill in the second over before Cheteshwar Pujara looked to offer some resistance but the spinners struck successivly to remove him and Virat Kohli.
