Balls. Yes, balls formed the most pleasing aspect of Rohit Sharma’s maiden Test century which he carved on Day Three of the fourth Pataudi Trophy Test against England on Saturday. 

The Mumbai batsman, who managed just 11 in the first innings, faced 256 balls and spent nearly six hours in the middle during his eighth Test hundred knock in the second innings. “The most important and pleasing thing was that I was able to play 250 balls. If you look at all the Test matches [in this series] I have nearly played 100 balls in every innings. That to me, was a goal. The first goal was to play balls, see how I can stay on the pitch for as long as possible because we do know that things start to get little easier when you spend time in the middle, when you see what the bowlers are doing and get the hang of it and get the feel of the entire situation. Spending time in the middle was the biggest takeaway for me in the four Test matches,” Rohit said during a virtual press conference on Saturday.