03 October,2016 08:31 AM IST | | Debasish Datta
Day Three of the second Test against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma ensured India had the edge over the Kiwis, who could well lose the first of their three Tests at the Eden Gardens after draws in 1955-56 and 1964-65
Rohit Sharma plays a delicate leg-side shot against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata yesterday. Pic/PTI
Kolkata: An inside edge which went to short leg prevented Rohit Sharma from getting to double figures in the first innings. Yesterday, on Day Three of the second Test against New Zealand, Rohit ensured India had the edge over the Kiwis, who could well lose the first of their three Tests at the Eden Gardens after draws in 1955-56 and 1964-65.
Rohit's 82 off 132 balls was an imperious effort on a pitch which was no featherbed. The uneven bounce was not lost on the Kiwis, who landed some strong blows on the Indian batting line-up on yet another energy-sapping day under the Kolkata sky.
In many ways, skipper Virat Kohli paved the way for the rest the batters with a splendid innings of 45 which was halted by New Zealand's pace spearhead Trent Boult whose short ball ended up keeping low and it hit Kohli on his shin for him to be adjudged leg before wicket.
Rohit played a significant role in helping India gain an overall lead of 339 with Wriddhiman Saha (39) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8) expected to pile on the stress for the visitors.
He was involved in two vital partnerships in an effort to pull India our of the woods - 48 runs with Kohli for the fifth wicket followed by 103 for the seventh wicket with Saha.
Dwelling on his alliances, he said, "You have to play each ball on its merit and cannot think too far ahead. We kept focusing on every ball thrown at us. It's all about building partnerships. It needed one or two batsmen to get you out of trouble. From the team's perspective, that 100-plus partnership with Saha was crucial. We could put pressure back on New Zealanders." Rohit and his partners sure have, and the Sunday crowd loved him for that.
It will be a while before he returns for a Test match at his happy hunting ground where he has enjoyed incredible success in ODI cricket too. There are two days left in this Test, but the threat from the weather cannot be ignored. Hence, skipper Kohli would want to finish things without wasting a minute. If Saha wants to get his maiden Test ton in front of his home crowd, he may have to be in one-day mode.
The Kiwis have shown more than just a bit of grit over the last eight days of Test cricket but even for a fighting side, going past a 300-plus score in the second innings of an Eden Test match is impossible.
