The rain shortened 2nd day had one event worthy of comment. Rohit Sharma got to 44 in 73 balls, and then was dismissed trying to hit Nathan Lyon of the ground. He explained the dismissal as follows.
TL;DL:- “This is how I’m supposed to play. This is my role. This is how I’m going to play.”
Let’s see. This is the ball-by-ball summary of every Test batsman since about 2003 against spin. Rohit Sharma averages 57.8 against spin, and he’s dismissed once every 90 balls (bpd: balls per dismissal). He hits a six (bps: balls per six) every 39.7 balls. The only players who have faced at least 1000 balls of spin and hit a six against spin more frequently are Adam Gilchrist, Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Starc. Others who are close include Virender Sehwag, Mitchell Johnson and Harbhajan Singh. Rohit Sharma’s preference for hitting sixes against spin is also unusual for a top order player. He hits, on average 2.1 fours per six, compared to Pietersen (5.0), Kallis (4.8), Sehwag (4.6), Younis Khan (6.7), Hayden (4.5), de Villiers (5.0). Compare Rohit Sharma’s average return per dismissal (58 in 90 balls), to Virender Sehwag’s return per dismissal (58 in 63 balls). Sehwag is widely considered to be an outstanding player of spin bowling.
Compared to Sharma’s usual dominance of spinner, Nathan Lyon has kept him in check in this series, conceding 32 in 71 balls for 1 dismissal in the three innings at Sydney and Brisbane.
Unsurprisingly, the record suggests that Rohit Sharma has a point. And unsurprisingly in this Indian side, he knows what he’s doing, much like Pujara.
Long time lurker. Don't usually comment though. These scoreboard like tables look cool but are not very easy to look through. Would appreciate a more conventional table. Thanks for the great work.