Rohit Sharma vs Josh Hazlewood, a masterclass in grit!

At 38, with 11,000+ ODI runs, a Champions Trophy title, and countless records, Rohit was up against one of the toughest bowlers in the world on a lively Adelaide Oval pitch.

Hazlewood had him dancing in Perth, and he brought the same venom to Adelaide. Yet Rohit dug in, curbing instincts, leaving balls, and surviving deliveries that jagged back sharply. Early progress was a crawl — 8 off 28, 19 off 43 — but patience paid off. His first confident shot came only after 41 balls, a graceful loft over mid-off for a boundary.

No flamboyant drives, no easy flicks. This was all about survival, defiance, and experience. Rohit might not have looked pretty, but he did the job, and the same would be expected from him in the Sydney clash.