India captain Rohit Sharma didn’t expect Australia to get bowled out in just one session on the third day of the opening Test on Saturday. Australia suffered an innings and 132 run defeat after being bundled out for just 91 in their second essay.

“No, I didn’t,” Rohit said when asked if he expected the match to end inside three days. “We were prepared to have a hard day’s bowling, spending session after session. We never thought they would get bowled out in a session.

“As you saw, the pitch became slower and slower and there was no bounce on the pitch, so it was a bit of a surprise for me,” the India captain said.

While the Australian batters failed against the spinners, Rohit showed the way with his knock of 120 and later explained how he had prepared for such pitches.

“The last few years the kind of pitches we have been playing in India, you got to have application, a clear mindset and some sort of plan about how you want to go about and get those runs,” Rohit said.

“Since I started opening the batting, I have tried to figure out what can threaten me when I’m batting, and working out my methods of scoring runs. I have grown up playing a lot in Mumbai on surfaces which turn a lot. I feel you need to be unorthodox as well, you need to use your feet, you need to get to the pitch of the ball, and at the same time try and put pressure on the bowler as well.

“You can’t let the bowler bowl six balls on the spot, you got to try and do something different, and that something different can be your way of doing it, whether it’s stepping down the ground, sweeping, reverse sweeping, going over the top…

“There are so many things that you can do and it’s important when you play on pitches like that, you need to understand what is your strength, what are the things you can do, and not look at anyone else. I tried to figure out what are things I can do and I just try and go and apply myself out in the middle.”

Rohit was pleased to set the tone for the series with a superb century and place India comfortably in the World Test Championship (WTC) table. India need to win two of the remaining three Tests to seal a final berth.

“Yeah, it was (a special hundred), considering a lot of things,” Rohit said. “It was the start of the series, very important where we stand in the WTC table, it was important for us to start well. We know when you’re playing a series like this it’s important to start well and I was happy that I could put up a performance which could help the team.”

Written with PTI inputs

Jadeja fined over cream

Ravindra Jadeja on Saturday. PTI photo

Calcutta: Ravindra Jadeja, one of India’s heroes in the Nagpur Test, was fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point for applying cream on the swollen index finger of his bowling hand without the on-field umpires’ approval on Day I of the game.

Jadeja’s action was deemed to have breached Article 2.20 of the ICC code of conduct for players and player support personnel, which relates to displaying conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.

Jadeja was seen in images from the broadcast receiving a cream from pacer Mohammed Siraj and applying it on his left index finger on Day I of the Test on Thursday.

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