Former India skipper Pragyan Ojha has claimed that Rohit Sharma, who scored a smashing century in the first innings, deserved the Man of the Match award in the second Test against Chennai. Though Ashwin’s all – round performance was crucial to India’s victory, Ojha claimed that Rohit Sharma’s century in the first innings on a very difficult pitch laid the foundation for India’s victory. Ojha said India should have won the Man of the Match award in the Test against England in the series with a 317-run victory.
Rohit scored a brilliant century in the first innings to give India the lead. Out of 329 runs scored by India in the first innings, 161 runs came from Rohit’s bat. Rohit scored 161 off 231 balls. It was Rohit’s innings that gave India a better start and a better score.
‘The man of the match award was definitely Rohit Sharma. I say this because of the specifics of this test. Everyone knew that batting performance in the first innings was very important in this Test. It was very clear that the pitch in Chepauk would support the bowlers and that batting would become more difficult as the match progressed. ‘
‘I will not forget that Ashwin scored a beautiful century in the second innings. But do not forget one thing. By the time Ashwin’s century was scored, India were far ahead of England in the match. – Oja pointed out.
‘Would Ashwin’s century have influenced India’s victory or defeat? My opinion is no. India were on course for victory by the time Ashwin scored a century in the second innings. Not to trivialize Ashwin’s century. But it was Rohit’s century that laid the foundation for India’s victory in this Test and had a huge impact on the outcome of the match, ”said Ojha.
‘Suppose Rohit scored only 60 runs in the first innings. What is the score level? What would have happened in the second inning? Wasn’t Rohit’s performance in the first innings making the second innings irrelevant? “Because India’s lead was so secure,” Ojha said.
English Summary: Rohit Sharma Should Have Got The Man Of The Match Award Not Ravichandran Ashwin, Says Pragyan Ojha
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