WI vs IND: Decoding Rohit Sharma's Test stats as opener
Rohit Sharma smoked a brilliant ton in India's first innings of the ongoing opening Test against West Indies. He slammed 103 off 221 balls, a knock laced with 10 boundaries and two maximums. The dasher added 229 runs for the opening wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Meanwhile, this was Rohit's 10th Test ton and seventh as an opener. Here are his Test stats while opening.
A defiant knock from Rohit
While Jaiswal (143*) made a cautious start, Rohit exhibited a counter-attacking pull off the first ball he faced. The duo negotiated the Caribbean seamers till stumps and returned unbeaten. The Indian skipper was patient throughout the first session on Day 2 but didn't shy away from punishing the poor deliveries. Rohit eventually fell prey to debutant all-rounder Alick Athanaze.
A look at his journey in Tests
Rohit, who made his international debut in 2007, had to wait till 2013 to receive his maiden Test cap. Though he smoked a ton on debut, he blew hot and cold as a middle-order batter. His fortunes changed after being promoted as an opener in 2019. The 35-year-old has not looked back since then and his stats state the same.
Seventh Test ton as opener
Rohit has scored 1,955 runs in 24 Tests as an opener at a brilliant average of 52.83. The tally includes seven tons and four fifties. Only Sri Lanka's Dimuth Karunaratne (2,142 at 53.55) has scored more Test runs while opening the batting since Rohit's promotion to the top. Interestingly, the southpaw also owns seven tons in this period besides 10 fifties.
Rohit's numbers at middle-order
Before settling in as an opener, Rohit has batted at several positions. As a non-opener, the Indian skipper has clobbered 1,585 runs in 27 Tests at a decent average of 39.62. The tally includes 10 fifties and three tons. Notably, two of these tons came in his debut Test series against West Indies in 2013. His next hundred came four years later.
Bradmanesque numbers at home
At home, Rohit has clobbered 1,233 runs in 15 Tests as an opener at 58.71 (50s: 1, 100s: 5). His average is the fourth-highest among openers with at least 1,200 Test runs on home soil. In away Tests (home of opposition), he has scored 600 runs in seven Tests while opening (Average: 50). He has scored 122 runs at 30.50 in two neutral Tests.
Here are his overall Test numbers
During the course of his knock, Rohit also became the 20th Indian batter to accomplish the 3,500-run mark in the longest format. He has overall raced to 3,540 runs in 51 Tests at a brilliant average of 45.97. Besides 10 tons, he has smoked 14 fifties in the format. His solitary double-ton in the format (212) came against South Africa in 2019.
