The stage was set at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, a venue historically known for massive run-fests. With an average first-innings score of 320 in the previous four ODIs and a distinct record where the chasing team has never won a game here, the strategy seemed obvious. Yet, when New Zealand won the toss against India, they defied the odds, history, and conventional wisdom by asking Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill to pad up.
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The Kiwi pacers immediately justified the surprising decision with a disciplined opening spell. They kept the Indian openers surprisingly quiet, restricting the scoreboard to just 10 runs for no loss as the initial overs ticked by. However, the most shocking aspect was not the low score, but the uncharacteristic struggle of the Indian captain. Rohit Sharma, a batter notoriously special for his ability to go gung-ho right from the first ball, was unable to get off strike for ten whole deliveries.
It was only on the first ball of the fifth over that the mounting pressure finally eased, as the skipper flicked the ball towards wide mid-on for a single.
STAT: Rohit Sharma's slowest start this decade
This specific moment highlighted a rare and surprising statistic: Rohit Sharma got off the mark off the 11th ball he faced against New Zealand in the ongoing 2nd ODI. Only once has he taken longer to do so in an ODI innings - 13 balls against ZIM in Bulawayo back in 2010.
But that slow start was just the beginning of the action. India wasted no time pushing into second gear, smashing 47 runs in the next five overs to end the powerplay at a strong 57 for no loss. With the initial hurdle cleared, India will now be looking to post a big score, likely 350+, to pile the pressure on the Kiwis.
Unfortunately, Rohit Sharma succumbed in the 13th over, but not before giving India the perfect platform to build upon. He scored 24 runs off 38 balls, an innings of grit and patience.
