The third and last One Day Worldwide (ODI) between England and India at Lord’s on July 19, 2026, delivered excessive drama, breathtaking strokeplay, and a defining second in Indian cricket historical past. Chasing an enormous goal of 388 runs within the collection decider in London, India fell quick by 27 runs, conceding the three-match rubber 2-1 to the hosts. But, regardless of the crew’s defeat, the match will perpetually be remembered for a monumental knock by veteran opener Rohit Sharma. Amid intense hypothesis surrounding his worldwide future, the 39-year-old maestro produced a masterpiece of 138 off 110 balls. Including a singular contact to his historic feat was a outstanding element: the blade that powered his magical innings belonged to his long-time Mumbai teammate, Shardul Thakur.
Shardul Thakur opens up concerning the bat that helped Rohit Sharma script historical past at Lord’s
Rohit’s sensational hundred on the ‘Residence of Cricket’ got here off a willow gifted by fellow Mumbai all-rounder Thakur. Sensing that his personal bats lacked the best stability in the course of the high-stakes chase, the previous Indian skipper turned to Thakur’s tools within the dressing room.
Talking concerning the gesture, Thakur, affectionately generally known as ‘Lord Thakur’, expressed his enjoyment of aiding his senior teammate. Thakur revealed that bat producer Jatin Sareen had provided him with top-quality SS willows, a few which Rohit had beforehand requested to borrow as a result of he cherished their really feel and pickup. Having grown up enjoying collectively from faculty cricket to Mumbai’s home circuit and the Mumbai Indians IPL setup, Thakur famous that denying Rohit the bats was merely out of the query. He shared immense pleasure in seeing Rohit script historical past on cricket’s grandest stage utilizing his willow.
“I’m signed with SS bats and Jatin Sareen (proprietor) has been very variety to ship me some glorious piece of willows. Rohit as soon as requested me to provide him a few bats since he cherished them. All of us love him and he’s given us so many joyful moments within the sport of cricket that denying him the bats was out of query. And at this time I’m actually pleased that he scored his historic hundred at Lord’s cricket floor utilizing certainly one of my bats,” Thakur acknowledged to The Indian Categorical.
The century arrived at a essential juncture, silencing exterior noise concerning Rohit’s future forward of India’s upcoming collection in September. Reaching triple figures off simply 84 deliveries with a fragile sweep off Adil Rashid, Rohit supplied a relaxed fist bump to non-striker Virat Kohli earlier than gesturing warmly towards the dressing room and his household within the stands.
Additionally READ: Top 5 highest team totals in ODI cricket at Lord’s ft. India
Rohit turns into India’s first centurion at Lord’s in ODIs
Rohit’s 138-run blitz marked a landmark achievement, making him the primary Indian batter in historical past to attain an ODI century at Lord’s. Laced with 17 fours and 5 maximums, his knock equalled Sir Viv Richards‘ 1979 World Cup last report for the very best rating by an abroad batter on the iconic venue.
The innings additionally shattered a number of historic benchmarks:
- Oldest Indian Centurion: At 39 years and 80 days, Rohit surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to turn out to be India’s oldest ODI centurion.
- Abroad Dominance: It marked his eighth ODI hundred on English soil, setting a world report for probably the most centuries scored by any visiting batter in a single international nation.
Although India missed out on securing the collection victory, Rohit’s preventing effort proved that his starvation for acting on the large stage stays undiminished.
Additionally READ: Top 5 players with most ODI hundreds in a visiting country ft. Rohit Sharma
