"I really broke it down into pieces" - Rohit Sharma reflects on much-awaited hundred in IND vs ENG 2025 2nd ODI

Team India captain Rohit Sharma stated that he broke his innings down into small segments en route to his much-awaited hundred in the second ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday, February 9. The opening batter added that once he got set, he was keen on playing a long innings.

Going into match with some question marks over his place in the team owing to some poor returns in red-ball cricket, Rohit silenced his doubters with a sublime 119 off 90 balls. The right-handed batter struck 12 fours and seven sixes in his 142-minute stay at the crease as India chased down 305 in 44.3 overs.

Speaking after the Men in Blue's four-wicket triumph, Rohit opened up on how we went about planning his knock. He said (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):

"I really broke it down into pieces about how I wanted to bat. It's a 50-over format, a little longer than T20 format and a little shorter than Test cricket obviously - a lot shorter than Test cricket - but obviously you still need to break it down and assess what you need to do at regular intervals and that is what I kept doing. It was important for a batter who gets set, needs to bat as deep as possible and that was my focus."

The 37-year-old added that on black soil surfaces, the ball tends to skid a bit, so it's important for a batter to show the full face of the willow, especially at the start of the innings. Elaborating on his batting approach, he stated:

"Once I got into my innings, I understood what they were trying to do: bowling into our body and trying to not give any room, keeping it on the stumps. And that's where I prepared my plan as well, what I wanted to do with those kind of deliveries, trying to access the gaps which were there. It's about understanding what you want to do as a batter."

It needed a stunning catch from Adil Rashid to end Rohit's stay at the crease. The right-handed batter attempted to go after Liam Livingstone, but miscued his stroke. Rashid ran back at midwicket to complete a blinder.

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"He makes things much easier than what it is" - Shubman Gill on Rohit Sharma's Cuttack hundred

India got off to an impressive start with the bat in Cuttack as Rohit and Shubman Gill (60 off 52) added 136 in 16.4 overs. The latter played the support hand in the excellent stand. Speaking to the host broadcaster after India's win, Gill praised the Indian captain's knock and said:

"He makes things much easier than what it is. The way that he took on the bowlers… we have seen that over the past couple of years, how he's been batting in the ODIs, and the way he dominated the fast bowlers today was just a treat to watch from the non-striker's end."

India took a 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series with the triumph in Cuttack. The third match, which has been reduced to a dead rubber, will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 12.