Ravindra Jadeja matched Kapil Dev’s incredible feat while Rohit Sharma surpassed Sourav Ganguly in the 3rd Test against England.
Centuries from skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja guided Team India to 326-5 on the opening day of the 3rd Test against Ben Stokes’ England. Local hero Jadeja remained unbeaten on 110 while skipper Rohit top-scored (131) for Virat Kohli-less Team India on Thursday at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Rohit confirmed that the hosts have handed debut caps to youngsters Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel in the 3rd Test of the five-match series.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma (R) with Ravindra Jadeja celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) (AFP)
While wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is expected to showcase his talent on Day 2, debutant Sarfaraz earned plaudits with his counterattacking knock against Bazball-friendly England on the opening day of the Rajkot encounter. Sarfaraz completed his maiden half-century in just 48 balls to announce his arrival in Test cricket. Middle-order batter Sarfaraz entered his name in record books on Day 1 of the 3rd Test against England.
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The Mumbai batter smashed the second-quickest Test half-century for India on debut. Sarfaraz and Hardik Pandya both notched up fifties off 48 balls. Following Sarfaraz’s dismissal, Jadeja brought up his fourth Test century in the final session. The veteran Indian all-rounder also completed 3,000 runs in the final over to join legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev on an elite list. Only Jadeja, Kapil and Ravichandran Ashwin have scored 3,000 runs and picked up 200 wickets in the longest format of the game.
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Rohit Sharma goes past Sourav Ganguly
In four Tests at Rajkot, Jadeja averages above 250 (254) for India. The all-rounder has two centuries to his name at the venue. While Jadeja joined the elite list of all-rounders, skipper Rohit also scripted history on the opening day of the 3rd Test. The 36-year-old smashed 131 off 196 balls to go past batting icon Sourav Ganguly in the list of most run-getters on the international circuit. Former India skipper Ganguly amassed 18,575 runs in 424 games. Skipper Rohit has become the fourth-highest run-getter for India. Senior opener Rohit also shattered MS Dhoni’s record during his captain’s knock. Rohit surpassed Dhoni’s tally of 78 sixes in Test cricket. The India skipper also holds the record for smashing most sixes in international cricket.
