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Français (Afrique)Indian opener Rohit Sharma’s century yesterday at Lord’s had a special Mumbai connection as the bat he used to score his first-ever century at the venue was his domestic teammate Shardul Thakur’s willow. Shardul, who made his last appearance for India back in 2025, gave his own bat to Rohit, who reached triple figures for the first time since 25 October, 2025 against Australia.
It was a special one because it was at the Home of Cricket but that couldn’t turn India’s fortunes around as the Shubman Gill-led side suffered a 27-run defeat to confirm their series loss by 2-1.
Rohit walked in with India chasing a daunting target of 388 in the third and deciding ODI. During the innings, he felt that his own bat was not giving him the right balance and timing.
Looking for a better option, he picked up one of Shardul Thakur’s bats from the dressing room. The change worked immediately as Rohit looked far more comfortable, finding the middle of the bat consistently while taking on England’s bowlers.
Using Shardul’s bat, Rohit played a fantastic knock, scoring 138 off 110 balls with 17 fours and 5 sixes. He stitched together a 147-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill, who made 77, before adding another 113 runs with Virat Kohli, who contributed 74.
Rohit’s innings kept India in the hunt despite the huge target and also saw him become the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s. He went past Sachin Tendulkar, whose highest ODI score at the iconic venue was 93.
After the match, Shardul revealed that Rohit had picked up his bat after struggling to find the right rhythm with his own equipment. According to the all-rounder, Rohit liked the feel of the bat and continued using it for the remainder of his innings.
“I am signed with SS bats and Jatin Sareen (owner) has been very kind to send me some excellent piece of willows. Rohit once requested me to give him a couple of bats since he loved them. We all love him and he’s given us so many joyful moments in the game of cricket that denying him the bats was out of question. And today I am really happy that he scored his historic hundred at Lord’s cricket ground using one of my bats,” Thakur told The Indian Express.
Despite Rohit’s outstanding effort, India could not complete the chase. England posted 387 for 3, powered by Ben Duckett’s career-best 141 and Jacob Bethell’s 91. India finished on 360 for 7, falling short by 27 runs as England clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1. Sam Curran’s 4-wicket haul and Jacob Bethell’s crucial wicket of Rohit proved decisive in the closing stages of the chase.