Rohit Sharma closed in on Shardul Thakur and maintained a steady lead for about 10 seconds. In a surprising twist, Rohit Sharma frustration on Shardul and it shows when he expresses his displeasure at Shardul’s boundary setting.

Rohit Sharma was all smiles and jubilation as India thrashed New Zealand by 90 runs in the third ODI in Indore to seal a 3-0 victory. But even as he scored a century – his first in over 500 days – Rohit was dismissed as New Zealand were on the brink of a difficult over. Of course, it was up to Devon Conway to chase down 386 for the Blackcaps to win, who threatened to run away with the game, scoring a hundred off just 71 balls. After losing to Finn Allen early in the first innings, Conway and Henry Nicholls pushed India back to a 106-run partnership which clearly irked Rohit.

Although India are full of wickets, Rohit knows that while Conway is there, the game is still a long way off. Conway was in the middle of a powerful 78-run partnership with Daryl Mitchell when Indian Shardul Thakur came back and scored not once but twice in quick succession. First, Shard got Mitchell to hand the ball to keeper Ishaan Kishan, then left Tom Latham with the ball, the New Zealand captain didn’t see it coming and promptly hit Hardik Pandya. Long term.

However, despite taking two wickets, Shard failed to impress Rohit as his last two balls were smashed by Conway for four. Shard twice tried a short delivery down the line but Conway is close and lunged towards the back which eventually let Rohit down. He went to the Shard and went to his player for about 10 seconds straight. In a surprising turn of events, Rohit’s frustration was evident as he expressed his displeasure with Shard for the two balls.

But in the next over, Rohit’s frustration vanished when Shard dismissed Glenn Phillips for the third wicket to finish at 3/45 in six overs. And once Umran Malik got rid of the dangerous Tom Latham, everything was set and perfect for India. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal ended the tour by bowling New Zealand for 295. Rohit and Shardul shared a kiss after the match. India celebrated yet another double series at home.

Shardul’s win saw him win the Man of the Match award ahead of skippers Rohit and Gill. Besides taking three wickets, Shardul also shared a valuable 54-run partnership with Hardik Pandya, who scored 25 off 17 balls with three fours and a six. With India losing back-to-back wickets, the Hardik-Shardul duo gave India a boost and registered a total of 400 wickets.

“I like them a lot and I like my team, there are times when they come after you and it’s important that you defend yourself now if not before I tell you to.” Do it and do it next time. I don’t think so either. Because we have to be ready for any situation, be it bat or ball. Everyone loves to hit and today’s game is all about hitting,” Shardul said during the show.

This is not the first time in this series that the Shard comes to the team’s rescue. Michael Bracewell scored an unforgettable century in the first ODI in Hyderabad that set New Zealand on course for one of their most impressive victories in history, it was Shardul who helped India overcome the scare. With 13 balls needed from five balls, Shard came in to seal the deal and hit a yorker to win the match for his team.