Rohit Sharma lived out a dream at Kingsmead on Thursday night. In his first international hit for India, the 20-year-old showed maturity beyond his years to craft a superb unbeaten half-century, then came up with a stunning piece of fielding to catch Justin Kemp short of his crease.

What made Rohit’s knock even more special was that he had gone through the entire one-day tours of Ireland and England without playing a single game. “There were a few nerves when I walked out to bat,” he acknowledged, after being named man of the match.  “The team was under pressure, we had lost early wickets. But just being with the team in England was of great help, it was a great experience. I learnt a lot being in the dressing room and travelling with the team.

“This was not an easy pitch to bat on. The ball was seaming around a fair bit, and I decided not to play my shots initially. I had no instructions as such when I went out to bat, I was told to bat normally.”

Rohit came out when India were 33 for three, survived a torrid welcome from Morne Morkel, and went on to add 85 for the fifth wicket with his captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. “It was a good partnership with Mahi, it helped us reach a competitive total,” Rohit observed. “I hope to carry on from here in the next few games.”

Effective
Rohit’s innings was at once aesthetic and effective, but what stood out was his temperament. Despite being tied down by Morkel, he didn’t try anything daft or fancy, biding his time and then playing with great freedom and elan.

Skipper Dhoni was all praise for his young turk.

“It was amazing the way he batted,” the skipper said, “particularly because he hasn’t played too much cricket for a while now. It is really tough for a guy sitting out for a long time, but he grabbed his chances today.”

Smith’s praise
Dhoni’s South African counterpart too was quick to pat Rohit on the back. “He batted quite superbly and stuck to his game plan,” Graeme Smith pointed out. “He finished very well, and his partnership with Dhoni was very important for the team.

“His last-ball six to get to fifty was more expensive than we thought it would be,” added Smith.