In the opening moments of the IND vs SA 1st ODI in Ranchi, Rohit Sharma made a notable tactical gesture by giving up the strike to allow Yashasvi Jaiswal to take first strike against Marco Jansen. The move immediately caught attention as Jaiswal faced all six deliveries of the opening over.
Jaiswal made the most of the opportunity. He began India’s chase with a cracking square-cut four off the very first ball, followed by four byes, and then negotiated the remaining deliveries with confidence — including a sharp fuller-length delivery on the pads and two well-directed balls outside off.
Jansen even aborted his run-up once, adding to the pressure, but Jaiswal stayed composed throughout.
Rohit, standing at the non-striker’s end through the entire over, showed complete trust in the young opener by letting him take on South Africa’s tall left-arm pacer from ball one. It was a clear sign of backing Jaiswal’s aggressive approach and rhythm at the top.
With India off to a bright start, the decision highlighted Rohit’s leadership instincts — allowing the in-form youngster to dictate early momentum.
