Nagpur basks in Sharma glory as India widen lead over resilient Aussies on Day 2

Indian captain Rohit Sharma celebrates his century during the 2nd day of the 1st test cricket match between India and Australia, at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. (Pic Courtesy: PTI)

A magnificent roar heralded the century by Rohit Sharma on Friday afternoon when the India opener danced down the track like a Bollywood star and nailed a lofted shot over mid-off against Todd Murphy. As heir apparent to the batting greats of the generation before him, the next big thing from the storied Mumbai school of batsmanship, great things were expected of him. And expected of him instantly.

The Aussies made quick work of the Indian top order with a collapse seeing the hosts lose four wickets for 151 runs on Day 2. After a lively first innings in Nagpur on Thursday, the Men in Blue clung on with Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav with India at a time trailing by only 14 runs on the second day.

Sharma's majestic century from 171 balls was the centrepiece of a second day otherwise dominated by young off-spinner Murphy. Despite the wicket offering plenty of assistance, Sharma tackled the pace threat well with clever use of footwork. Australia, so buoyant after dismissing the top order in quick succession, already know their chase will be a tough one, thanks to Sharma.

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Having started off on a decent note after India bundled out Australia for 177 on Day 1, he closed the opening day with an unbeaten 56, thereby, reducing the deficit to 100. While the line-up toppled worriedly, the 35-year-old stood tall as the lone warrior. Sharma now boasts of six centuries across formats as the Team India skipper, three out of which have come from ODIs and the other two in T20Is.

Interestingly, this was his 38th overall century across formats as an opener, a second-best tally by an Indian after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's 45. Six of his 38 tons have been scored in Test cricket, which ranks as the eighth-best among Indian cricketers.

In a series that has been fascinatingly contested and seen the sides arm wrestle for days, the task at hand seems somewhat less daunting for Team India courtesy of a well-timed century by the captain himself. Faced with conditions that appear to favour the bowlers, the hosts collectively stuck to old-fashioned Test values to bat themselves into a position to exert tighter control at the end of Day 2.

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