India need seven wickets, Sri Lanka miracle

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There are some who want him to score. There are some who want him to fail. There are those who expect him to score. There are many who expect him to fail. Few cricketers have divided opinions in Indian cricket quite like the Mumbai right-hander has, and especially so over the last month in Sri Lanka. And fewer have kept Twitter as active as Rohit while he’s at the crease.

But then he unleashes an exquisite cover-drive or a pull-shot with his body swivelling like he is on a ballet floor and the debate stalls temporarily. For supporters and detractors alike sit back and admire, if not applaud, him. Next ball, he swipes at one outside his off-stump and the debate is back on as fiercely and vociferously as ever.

An in-between knock

All eyes were on him anyway on the fourth morning of the SSC Test. With India having started the day on 21 for 3, Rohit and Virat Kohli had the responsibility of first taking their team to a level of safety before extending their hold on the match and series.

But this was also looked at as Rohit’s chance to shine as well as his chance to fail, depending on which side of the debate you stood on — and both sides are equally well-served and have equally well-entrenched opinions.

Eventually his knock-50 off72 balls-landed somewhere in between but gave both parties enough bragging rights. In many ways it was a typical Rohit Test innings. There were elements which were beauteous and left you captivated but there were also others that made you cringe. But it was a crucial half-century nevertheless as it took India past the significant 200-run lead. It also, however, ended in a way – caught at long-leg off a top-edged pull just 20 minutes before the lunch-break – and at a time that left the visitors in a slight spot of bother.

The lower-order though then came through in sensational fashion -with each making a crucial contribution to both the team’s and his own sake – and helping India set a demanding target of 386 for the Sri Lankans. That is before an enraged and fired-up Ishant Sharma blew away the Lankan top-order following a heated and rather dramatic brouhaha at the end of the Indian innings to leave the hosts on the brink at 67 for 3 and a whole day to bat out.

But while the Rohit debate might have dominated the first part of the day’s play, at the other end captain Kohli was also in the midst of a crucial innings. With only Stuart Binny and the lower-order to follow, there was no way India could have survived an early dismissal in conditions that were very much in favour of the bowlers and with Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep in great rhythm and making the most of them.

And even though he didn’t always look at his fluent best, Kohli fought on gamely, and by the time he got out in familiar fashion, edging a Pradeep delivery to Upul Tharanga at first slip, he had seen off the early sharpness of the wicket and ensured that the Lankan pacers had been worn out too.

Binny can bat

In walked Binny. There has been incessant talk about what the Karnataka’s all-rounder actually brings to the side. While his bowling has been decent so far, and helped Kohli rotate his bowlers rather fluidly, his batting has rather disappointed. But here was an opportunity to show his worth, with India still not quite out of the woods. He did that in the way he’s renowned for, by going after the bowling, even if some of his shots had significant risk-value about them. And it paid off.

Though they came together at 64 for 4, the partnership between Binny and Rohit came at a rapid rate, and they added 54 runs at a rate of 5.14 per over. While it propelled India’s lead to more comfortable realms, it also pushed the Lankans right on to the back-foot. Suddenly they could no longer attack with the same vigour as before. And Binny, who was finally dismissed for 49 and looked like refusing to leave the crease so disappointed was he, continued on even after Rohit’s departure, this time in the company of Naman Ojha.

Ojha had nothing to lose in his debut Test. With Wriddhiman Saha having been anointed as the long-term successor to MS Dhoni, Ojha might well have to wait a lot longer to play his second Test. But to his credit, he has looked accomplished and composed both in front and behind the wickets.

Here, the need of the hour was to keep the scoreboard motoring along, and he struck a few attractive boundaries too in that pursuit, though he might feel like he threw an opportunity for a maiden half-century after playing an ugly hoick off Rangana Herath that only went as far as cover.

It was a shot – doubled with the one he played in the first innings – that could well also give a reckless tag going forward.

The Indian tail though kept wagging. It was time then for Amit Mishra and R Ashwin who swapped positions to give themselves a bigger target to defend in the fourth innings. And the duo, in their own unique fashion-Ashwin the more elegant, and Mishra the more ingenious-put on 55 for the ninth wicket.

Then out came Ishant and all hell broke loose. Firstly during his brief stay at the wicket, and then once he had ball in hand as the Lankans suffered yet another collapse at the top – reduced to 2/2-one that looks likely to cost them yet another home series.