India, Sept. 30 -- Rohit Sharma was willing to speak at length about the enormity of India's chase, the conditions in Guwahati and his partnership with Shubman Gill. But when the conversation turned towards the unusual celebration that followed his century, the India opener suddenly decided there was one part of the evening he wanted to keep entirely to himself.

Rohit had just completed his hundred in the second ODI against West Indies when he broke into a conspicuous sequence of high-knee hops. It was markedly different from the relatively restrained celebrations normally associated with him, and the gesture immediately attracted attention because of how deliberate it appeared.

Asked directly about what the celebration represented, Roh...