Twitter Reactions: Twitterati laud Rohit Sharma’s tough half century

The India team was in trouble reeling at 43/4 when Ajinkya Rahane got out, skipper Virat Kohli was at the other end playing some really good shots but fell for 45 off 65 balls with seven boundaries. Though they had a lead of 112 runs from the first innings at 91/5 it didn’t appear to be a safe target. With the top and the middle order back in the hut, the emphasis to extend the lead to a winnable one lied on Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha.

Rohit started off patiently though he hit a six off the 7^th ball of his inning against Jeetan Patel, held himself back and curbed his instinct just to ensure there was no further damage. He hit the next boundary shot on the 50th ball a four off Mitchell Santner, by then he had started to get his runs comfortably.

He had the feel of the wicket and knew what was required for him to score on this surface. We all know about his love affair with the Eden Gardens, the ground he made his Test debut at and scored the highest ODI score of 264* against Sri Lanka.

The duo ran well together as Rohit also got the occasional boundaries, the pressure was back on the New Zealand bowlers now. Saha played a perfect partner to him playing at his home ground. Rohit took his time and judged the best deliveries to score off and left others alone.

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He got to his half century with a boundary tucked on the leg side on the 89th ball. There couldn’t have been a better occasion to get those runs. It propelled the Indian total way beyond New Zealand’s reach since the best 4th inning total at Edens is 223 and by the time of writing this post, Team India already had a lead worth 321 runs with Rohit dismissed for 82 and Saha on 35 the duo had also contributed 103 runs together in 179 deliveries.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Rohit’s knock:

Rohit Sharma scored important fifty in first Test second innings..

Rohit Sharma scored important fifty in second Test second innings..

— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) October 2, 2016

Rohit Sharma scored a fifty on dry day. Poor guy can't even celebrate this inning.

— ️Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) October 2, 2016

Well played, Rohit. Just like all the Test criticism is well-deserved so is the praise for this innings. Tough conditions.#INDvNZ #IndvsNZ

— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) October 2, 2016

Rohit Sharma's career at Eden Gardens: (Till his 52 today)

Runs/Avg
FC:452/150.67
ListA:264/264
T20:401/50.12
Overall:1117/93.08#INDvNZ

— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) October 2, 2016

Eden Gardens yes, Rohit Sharma yes, No, not the pitch though #INDvNZ

— Anand Subramaniam (@28anand) October 2, 2016

Brilliant 50 from @ImRo45 should go a long way in getting his test career settled. Fought hard in tough conditions. Well played.

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) October 2, 2016

Well done @ImRo45! A hardworking, gritty knock, just when the team needed it the most. Well played, Rohit. #INDvNZ

— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) October 2, 2016

Second consecutive fifty for Rohit Sharma in 2 Tests. #CricketBelieveItOrNot

— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) October 2, 2016

What a way to bring up fifty!

— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) October 2, 2016

Why Is Rohit Sharma Behaving Like A Batsman? #NationWantsToKnow #INDvNZ #INDvsNZ

— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadejaaaa) October 2, 2016

Tell me those 3 magical words.

Rohit: Eden Gardens, Kolkata.#INDvNZ #SorryIfDone

— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) October 2, 2016

And that's fifty up for Rohit Sharma! Pretty good knock under circumstances.. #INDvNZ #MumbaiLad

— Nikhil Mane ??? (@nikhiltait) October 2, 2016

His beloved Eden is back to rescue him. A steely half-century for Rohit Sharma on a tough pitch to rescue his side from the doldrums #INDvNZ

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) October 2, 2016

Rohit Footwork Analysis:

Front Foot: 27 (62)
Back Foot: 24 (23)
Down the Pitch: 1 (1)
Ducked: 0 (1)#IndvNZ

— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) October 2, 2016

Rohit Sharma just loves Eden Gardens, doesn't he? A brilliant half century under pressure.

Well played, @ImRo45 #INDvNZ pic.twitter.com/7SR1WmEJWD

— ScoopWhoop News (@scoopwhoopnews) October 2, 2016

Big half century there for Rohit Sharma. #indvsnz

Had to fight there. Improves his record at Eden Gardens – it's quite spectacular.

— Chinmay Bhogle (@chinmaybhogle) October 2, 2016