Shardul Thakur reveals story behind the bat Rohit Sharma used for his historic Lord's century

Rohit Sharma's magnificent century in the third ODI against England at Lord's grabbed plenty of attention, but an interesting story behind the bat he used has now come to light. The Indian opener's record-breaking knock was played with a bat gifted to him by his Mumbai teammate, Shardul Thakur.

Rohit smashed a brilliant 138 off 110 balls, laced with 17 fours and five sixes, while chasing a daunting target of 388. Although India eventually fell 27 runs short as England sealed the three-match series 2-1, the veteran opener's innings helped him script history by becoming the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord's.

Thakur revealed that Rohit had requested a couple of bats after being impressed with the quality of the willow supplied to him by SS Bats.

"I am signed with SS bats and Jatin Sareen (owner) has been very kind to send me some excellent piece of willows. Rohit once requested me to give him a couple of bats since he loved them. We all love him, and he's given us so many joyful moments in the game of cricket that denying him the bat was out of question. And today I am really happy that he scored his historic hundred at Lord's cricket ground using one of my bats," Thakur told The Indian Express.

The all-rounder also confirmed the same while on commentary during the match, joking that he had indirectly played a role in India's impressive start.

"Yes, that is my bat. (Jokingly) I have given India a start while sitting here inside the comm box," said Thakur.

Rohit entered the series decider under pressure after scores of 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs, with speculation surrounding his ODI future gathering momentum. However, the former Indian captain responded emphatically, reaching his 34th ODI century off just 84 deliveries.

He celebrated the landmark with a restrained fist pump before sharing a hug with Virat Kohli and acknowledging the Indian dressing room and his family in the stands.

The story behind the bat made the innings even more special. Rohit and Thakur share a long association, having studied at Swami Vivekanand International School under renowned coach Dinesh Lad. The duo later represented Mumbai in domestic cricket and were teammates at the Mumbai Indians as well.