Rohit Sharma came back in dazzling style with a superb hundred in the second ODI against England in Cuttack. From only 90 balls, he scored an explosive 119 run to lead India to a relaxed chase of 305 with more than five overs to go. Rohit’s first ODI hundred since his century against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup marked a 487-day lull for a ton in format.
Tributes from Teammates
Mumbai Indians comrades Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya paid emotional honors to Rohit after his excellent innings.
“Good things happen to good people. God is great,” Suryakumar wrote in an Instagram story.
Instagram story of Suryakumar Yadav for Rohit Sharma 🙇 pic.twitter.com/1kYOwJpzC8
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 9, 2025
Hardik, who was part of the playing XI in the second ODI, praised both Rohit and the electrifying atmosphere in Cuttack.
“Cuttack, what an atmosphere. Rohit Sharma stole the show,” he wrote on Instagram.
Hardik Pandya's Instagram post for captain Rohit Sharma. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/P0yTN39N69
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 9, 2025
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who has shared the dressing room with Rohit, also lauded his performance.
“And he’s back with a bang! Cannot keep the hitman quiet for long. Cracker of an innings with the bat doing all the talking,” Yuvraj posted on X.
And he's back with a bang! Cannot keep the hitman quiet for long 🔥 cracker of an innings with the bat doing all the talking 💯 @ImRo45 #INDvsENGODI #IndVSEng
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) February 9, 2025
Despite playing under Rohit’s captaincy in ODIs, Hardik will once again lead Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025 for the second consecutive season.
Rohit Sharma’s Dominant Knock
Rohit started India’s chase with a 90-ball 12-four 7-six innings by chasing 305. India’s 2-0 lead in the three-game series, an important warm-up for the 50-over Champions Trophy, was three non-negotiable ones India scored victory with 33 balls to spare.
In 76 balls, Rohit’s thirty-second ODI hundred came when he hit a six off leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Furthermore he had a vital 136-run first stand with Shubman Gill. Rohit started off striking the bowlers aggressively even though he had only two runs in the first ODI. He reached his fifty to break free from a current lean period as much as a 20-minute floodlight failure couldn wouldn’t disturb his rhythm.
Rohit had been below average over all formats before this series, with a 2024-25 season average of just 10.37 over his last 16 innings. Still, he recovered his touch with a combination of traditional shots, including his famous pull. Disparaged by Liam Livingstone’s leg-spin, he finally left to a well-earned standing ovations.
Though Rohit fell just 13 runs shy of being the fourth Indian batsman to surpass 11,000 runs in ODIs, his innings only confirmed his control on the major scene.
