Rohit Sharma Back With a Bang After Injury Scare

India finally came alive on what has been a wretched tour of Australia as the defending champions dominated World Cup debutants Afghanistan in their final warm-up game at the Adelaide Oval. And leading India's surge was Rohit Sharma, whose 94-ball hundred put paid to Afghan hopes after they snared the dangerous Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli early. (Blog)

Electing to bat, India were in early trouble as Kohli's horror form continued. The Indian vice-captain, arguably one of the best limited-overs batsmen in world cricket, fell for his sixth consecutive single-digit score. However, that did not stop a determined Rohit from staging a recovery with Suresh Raina. The same pair was in the thick of a rescue mission for India on January 18 in their tri-series opener against Australia - the duo put their best feet forward once again after the opposition had knocked off crucial wickets early.

Rohit, who had missed the rest of the tournament after scoring a fine hundred against the Aussies three weeks ago, showed he was back to his best, taking the Afghan attack apart. The only batsman with two double hundreds in ODIs, Rohit was undeterred even as he lost two senior partners at the other end. Shots were played on both sides of the wicket and it was clear that the Mumbai batsman wanted to send out a message - we are the world champions and we will play like them.

There has been rampant criticism over India's bowling and a host of former cricketers have emphaised the need for their batsmen to step up. But if the tri-series and the first warm-up match were anything to go by, the famed batting line-up posed problems of its own. But not on Tuesday, not against lowly Afghanistan, who made a statement with some sharp early bowling. Rohit was in no mood to relent and hammered four sixes en route to a brilliant, counterattacking hundred.

However, it mystified former Australia cricketer Tom Moody to see Rohit bat on even after getting to three figures. Moody said Dhoni should have got some time in the middle - in warm-up games, batsmen are allowed to retire and let their teammates get some practice. Why no one from the dressing-room did not see the need to do just that is anybody's guess. Maybe the team-management also wanted to see if Rohit was fit enough to bat for long periods.

But whatever the call, Rohit would feel buoyed by his efforts. He had missed the last World Cup and was in real danger of missing this one too. And now, he will be India's most valuable batsman as Kohli struggles to get back to form. This has been a miraculous turnaround. Can Rohit sustain it and help India defend the Cup?