World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma hits labored half-century in tough conditions against England in Lucknow

India captain Rohit Sharma scored his 54^th ODI half-century against England in tough batting conditions at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Rohit had to labour through his fifty against England in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

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En route to his half-century, Rohit also brought up 18,000 runs in international cricket, becoming just the fifth India to achieve the feat. He joins Sachin Tendulkar (34,357 runs), Virat Kohli (26,121 runs), Rahul Dravid (24,208 runs) and Sourav Ganguly (18,575 runs) in this elite list.

Rohit brought up his half-century in the 24th over with India looking to rebuild following three early dismissals in Lucknow. The India skipper got the team off to a fast start, taking the attack to David Willey in the second over. Rohit smashed Willey for a couple of sixes and a boundary to put the pressure on the bowling side.

However, England made a remarkable comeback, turning the game on its head. First, Chris Woakes sent Shubman Gill packing with a brilliant in-swinging delivery that completely dumfounded the opener to break the stumps.

Then Virat Kohli fell at the hands of Willey, having been put under pressure through some disciplined bowling. Kohli departed for a duck having faced nine balls. England kept the pressure on and it paid off once again as Shreyas Iyer, threw his wicket away against the short ball once again.

However, Rohit stitched a gritty partnership with KL Rahul to kick-start India’s recovery and shift the pressure back on the defending champions. The two batters took India past the 100-run mark following the skipper’s half-century.

India will be aiming to cement their spot in the knockout stages of the ongoing World Cup with a win over England. Meanwhile, the 2019 champions will have to go on a winning streak to stay in the hunt for a spot in the semi-finals.