It’s raining memes as Rohit Sharma makes history in Nagpur

Twitter was buzzing with memes after India captain Rohit Sharma made history on Day 2 of the opening Test against Australia in Nagpur on Friday.

With his majestic knock of 120 off 212 deliveries against the Pat Cummins-led side at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Rohit Sharma became the first player in international cricket to score a century in all forms of the game, both as a batter and a captain.

Additionally, Rohit Sharma became the first Indian skipper to score hundreds across formats.

Rohit Sharma's masterclass on a turning track came on a day when India's big names, including the maestro Virat Kohli and Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, fell cheaply, managing only scores of 12 and 7, respectively.

However, when it appeared like Rohit Sharma would remain the lone warrior, the indomitable Ravindra Jadeja came to the fore during the latter half of the Indian innings.

Ravindra Jadeja, India's hero on Day 1, once again proved to be a thorn in the flesh for the visitors as he remained unbeaten on 66 at stumps on Friday.

Battling alongside him is another cricketer from Gujarat, Axar Patel, who gave Ravindra Jadeja good company and will resume on the score of 52 not out on Day 3.

The duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel was involved in an unbeaten 81-run partnership, helping India to take a healthy 144-run lead over Australia with three days remaining in the match.

Returning to Rohit Sharma, his stunning knock in Nagpur also featured 15 fours and two sixes.

It was Rohit Sharma's ninth hundred in Test matches and his eighth at home. Besides, it was his first Test century as captain of the Indian cricket team after he became in charge of the side after Virat Kohli stepped down from the leadership role last year.

With his heroics in the City of Oranges, Rohit Sharma became a member of a select band of captains who have scored centuries in all three forms of the sport.

Before Rohit Sharma, current Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, South Africa's Faf du Plessis, and Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan were the only captains to reach the milestone in T20Is, ODIs, and Tests.

Among other records, Rohit Sharma matched Sachin Tendulkar for hitting the most hundreds against Australia as an opener. Both Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar have struck nine centuries against the Kangaroos on the international stage across formats.

Rohit Sharma's record-breaking hundred left many former cricketers in awe, with former national coach Ravi Shastri leading the accolades for the Team India captain.

Lauding Rohit Sharma for etching his name in history books, Ravi Shastri, who coached the batter during his stint as national coach, credited the improved fitness that allowed him to play such a special knock in the city of his birth, which happens to be Nagpur.

“I think that the partnership between Jadeja and Rohit came at the right time for India. I think they both realized the importance of that partnership. And you could see Rohit, even after getting to his hundred, it was as if he was taking fresh guard, and starting all over again. And Jadeja has improved over the years, he believes in himself and he is a useful contributor lower down the order whenever he is needed,” Ravi Shastri told broadcaster Star Sports.

“It's a tribute to his footwork, his temperament and skill. He has played with his wrists, played late and he is never coming hard at the ball. He has played with soft hands. A great example of how to bat on this pitch. Because of the time he has, he can play both spin and pace with good effect. And when he wants to hit, he can go big,” Ravi Shastri added.

Meanwhile, India batting coach Vikram Rathour labeled Rohit Sharma's innings special.

“Today’s innings was a very special innings because it was not easy. He was made to work very hard. And he showed a lot of temperament. It was a very important innings from the team’s point of view. It was not easy to score runs on this surface, but the kind of temperament he showed was very special,” Vikram Rathour said at the conclusion of Day 2's play.

“That’s the quality he has as a batter, he adapts really well. He is someone who can change his game. We know how he bats in India and how he scores his runs in the series he started playing as an opener in South Africa. Then we travelled to England where he played completely differently in the surfaces that require you to play tight cricket,” he added.

“As I said earlier, it was not an easy surface to bat on and he had to work hard. Usually, once he gets to a certain score he likes to push to score quickly. He showed his adaptability again today and batted really well,” Vikram Rathour concluded.