Perform or perish: Under pressure, Rohit Sharma serves up statement ton

Rohit Sharma scored his 32nd ODI hundred - 119 off 90 balls - and the nation breathed a sigh of relief. (BCCI Photo)

Firecrackers provided the soundtrack at Barabati Stadium after Rohit Sharma’s hundred in the second ODI against England on Sunday. The stadium DJ played some local songs. The outpouring of emotion suggested that Whitney Houston would have been a better choice: “I will always love you…”

Rohit scored his 32nd ODI hundred - 119 off 90 balls - and the nation breathed a sigh of relief. It was now or never for the India captain. Over the past six-odd months he became a specialist in failure. The Test series in Australia, where he scored 31 runs in five innings, was the nadir. It was bad enough for him to stand down for the final Test in Sydney.

He returned to domestic cricket but fell cheaply in both innings (3 and 28) in a Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir. White-ball cricket was supposed to put him back in the right headspace. But as Rohit departed for two in the first ODI against England, it felt like he was fast heading to the point of no return. With the Champions Trophy approaching, Rohit went to Cuttack carrying an excess baggage - perform or perish. He responded to the pressure like a champion.

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The Indian team dressing room is good at shutting out the outside noise. Rohit's teammates never doubted him. But even they wanted to see their skipper returning to form before the Champions Trophy. Ravindra Jadeja said as much at the post-match press conference on Sunday. “The good thing is that, before an important tournament like the Champions Trophy, scoring a hundred is a huge boost,” the senior all-rounder told reporters. “It’s great for the team, and obviously, he himself knows his game well. There’s nothing much to think or discuss.”

A successful top-order contributed immensely to India's march at the 2023 World Cup. The skipper led from the front, giving his team an all-new batting template. In the Champions Trophy also, India need their top-order to fire and an out-of-form Rohit would have been a serious impediment. "If your top-order batsmen are scoring runs, you will always get a good start,” said Jadeja. “In ODI cricket, if you get a good start in the first 10-15 overs, it sets the platform for the death overs, where you can capitalise.”

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Even six months ago, when India played an ODI series in Sri Lanka, Rohit was the team's best batsman, taming the treacherous Premadasa pitches that had gobbled up the rest. From that perspective, the failure in Nagpur was a case in isolation in the 50-over format. But Rohit was heavily burdened by the trickle-down effect of his red-ball travails. At 37 years and eight months, the end looked nigh.

What changed at Barabati? The pitch was a featherbed to start with. The ball came nicely on to the bat. And after an iffy beginning, Rohit played with an uncluttered mind. He knew what he was doing.

The century in Cuttack has given Rohit enough elbow room to decide his international future on his own terms, after the Champions Trophy.