"This one was more for himself" - Former India batter makes big statement on Rohit Sharma's hundred in IND vs ENG 2025 2nd ODI 

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Rohit Sharma's much-awaited ton in the second ODI against England in Cuttack was a little more for himself than it was for the team. He predicted that, having gotten the monkey off his back, the Indian captain would revert to his ultra-aggressive style of batting in the next game.

Following a horror Test tour of Australia, which was preceded by two poor red-ball series against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home, questions were being asked about his place in one-day cricket as well. Rohit made life tougher for himself by being dismissed for just two off seven balls in the first one-dayer against England in Nagpur.

On Sunday, February 9, though, the Hitman roared back to form with a brilliant 119 off 90 balls in the second ODI against England at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. While Rohit scored his runs at a fair clip, Manjrekar opined that the Indian batter was a bit more cautious than usual since he needed to come up with a big score. During a discussion on ESPNCricinfo, he commented:

"People who are big brands in India, they feel that pressure of expectation. It's not just about getting your 40s and 50s that he was doing during the World Cup. Somewhere, there's an expectation of a hundred. It's like a certificate of you being in form. This format allows you to take that monkey off your back. You saw the way he did it. He wasn't as attacking as he was during the World Cup.

"Still, when he decides to pace his innings, it's just incredible how easily he does it. [He was] very selective in the way he played his shots. So, finally that question was answered. I have a feeling in the next match he will play again in the way that he thought was best for the team. This one was more for himself. Obviously, one that wanted the team to win. But this is one that he'll say, this one is for me," the 59-year-old added.

Rohit struck 12 fours and seven innings in his excellent knock, adding 136 for the opening wicket with Shubman Gill (60 off 52). Chasing a target of 305, India got home in 44.3 overs, with four wickets in hand, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match one-day series.

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Rohit surpasses Chris Gayle on ODI six-hitting list

Following his knock of 119 against England in Cuttack, Rohit went past Chris Gayle on the list of batters with most sixes in ODIs. The Hitman is now in second position with 338 maximums, while Gayle hit 331. Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi tops the list with 351.

Also, the Indian captain has now scored 787 runs in successful 300-plus chases in ODIs. Only Virat Kohli (998) and Jason Roy (886) are above him in the list. Rohit also moved to fourth place among Indians with most ODI runs. He now has 10,987 runs to his name, going past Rahul Dravid (10,889).