India vs South Africa, 5th ODI: Rohit Sharma answers critics in style, hammers 17th hundred

Answering all the doubters with his wielding willow, Rohit Sharma struck his 17th hundred in the 50-over format to put the visitors in the driver's seat in the fifth ODI against South Africa in Port Elizabeth.

Rohit Sharma in action during the matchPhoto:AP

Touted as one of the biggest match winners for India in the limited-overs format, Rohit Sharma has finally got the monkey off his back as he hit a brilliant hundred in the fifth ODI against India in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. Answering all the doubters with his wielding willow, Rohit struck his 17th ton in the 50-over format to put the visitors in the driver's seat. 

After being put into bat first, the Indian openers got off to a breezy start with Shikhar Dhawan (34) playing the role of aggressor to put the visitors in command. But, after Dhawan's wicket, it was Rohit who took the control of Indian innings and built a 105-run stand for the second wicket with captain Virat Kohli (36)

Rohit Sharma has been one of the leading lights of the Indian team particularly in coloured clothing in the recent past. With three double centuries to his name, the opening batsman is the epitome of perfection when it comes to the limited-overs cricket. However, Rohit's consistent failures in the one-day series between India and South Africa has raised doubts over the 30-year-old’s ability to score runs in seaming conditions.

With scores of 5, 0, 15, 20 in the first four ODIs of the series, Rohit had failed to justify his place in the playing XI and was held guilty of not having the technique to play in conditions where the ball moves around a bit. But this century in Port Elizabeth (5th ODI) will surely put an end to all the claims which has lately doing the rounds on all media platforms. 

Other than his marauding form in India, Rohit has excelled in countries like Australia and England where conditions for limited-overs cricket are usually favourable for batsmen. He averages over 50 in both countries.