We needed Kohli to go out and play the situation: Rohit Sharma
Kohli’s 49th ODI hundred paved the way for India’s 326 for five on a somewhat timid Eden Gardens pitch, which ultimately proved to be well above par.
Calcutta: From the outside, Virat Kohli’s record of 101 off 121 balls against South Africa on Sunday may seem a stretch, but Indian captain Rohit Sharma termed the innings as one that suited the conditions and match situation.
Kohli’s 49th ODI hundred paved the way for India’s 326 for five on a somewhat timid Eden Gardens pitch, which ultimately proved to be well above par.
“If you look at how we have played in the last three games, we have adapted better. Today we needed Kohli to go out and respond to the situation. We knew then that we had to keep the ball in the right areas (with the ball) and let the pitch do the rest,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation.
Rohit was quite delighted with the way middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer and pacer Mohammed Shami repaid the management’s faith in this World Cup.
Iyer made an excellent 77 off 87 balls while Shami took a wicket that took his tally to 15 in the tournament.
Rohit said that he would have kept his faith in them even if they did not come up with such performances.
“Even if faith had not been repaid (by Shreyas and Shami), I would still hold on to them. We must maintain confidence. It can’t be done every day. For Shami to return the way he did shows the mentality. The last two games have shown what Iyer is capable of,” he noted.
Rohit has forged a compelling alliance with his partner Shubman Gill beforehand, but the skipper said their aggressive approach was not premeditated.
“Gill and I have been fighting each other a lot of the time now. We let instincts take over. We don’t plan anything in advance. We will judge and play accordingly,” he said.
Ravindra Jadeja also made a statement of his skills as he made a quick 29 off 15 balls that gave India some late steam, and then he returned to pick up a five-wicket haul (5/33).
Rohit praised Jadeja for his all-round efforts.
“Today was a classic case of what Jadeja is to us. He came out at the death and scored crucial points. Then picked up wickets. He knows his role and knows the expectations of him.” India has now won an unprecedented number of matches in a row at the World Cup, but Rohit did not give in to hyperbole.
“We shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves, that’s the conversation in the dressing room. We have some big games ahead of us. We don’t want to change anything.” South African captain Temba Bavuma said his side failed to adapt on the day.
“We know the challenge, we know the story around us during the hunt. I didn’t do it justice today. When we talk about it as a batting group, we have to be honest,” he said.
“The first ten overs with the ball made it a challenge. After that we did very well. The biggest challenge was taking wickets and India built big stands. Circumstances are the greatest learning experience.
“Wicket played the way we expected him to play. We expected it to get worse, but we didn’t adapt well. It is up to us to adapt our skills accordingly,” he said.