Rohit Sharma was a pleased captain after India registered a series-clinching eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second ODI at Raipur on Saturday (January 21).
Opting to field first, Indian bowlers ran through the Kiwi batting line-up, bundling them out for a paltry 108 in 34.3 overs.
While Mohammad Shami returned with the remarkable bowling figures of 3 for 18 in his 6 overs, Hardik Pandya (2-16) and Washington Sundar (2-7) claimed two scalps each. The remaining three wickets were shared by Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
In reply, the Men in Blue overhauled the target in just 20.1 overs with Rohit Sharma (51) and Shubman Gill (40) making vital contributions.
Speaking after the game, Rohit hailed his bowlers for their consistency over the last five ODIs at home.
“The last five games, bowlers have really stepped up. Whatever we have asked of them, they have stepped up and delivered. You don't usually see this type of seam movement in India, you generally see it outside India. These guys have some serious skills, they work really hard and it's great to see them being rewarded,” he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
According to the Indian captain, the target of 250 would have been challenging for the hosts.
“We trained yesterday and the ball was nipping around under lights. We knew that if they had 250 or so, it might have been challenging for us but that was the point of opting to chase. We batted first last game, so the idea was to challenge ourselves,” he added.
The third and final ODI will be held in Indore on Tuesday (January 24).
“Not sure what I'll do at Indore (in the final game). The confidence is high within the group and that's great to see,” Rohit said.
Rohit Sharma also said that it is important to take care of Shami and Siraj’s workload keeping the upcoming Test series against Australia in mind.
“They (Shami and Siraj) were raring to keep bowling long spells but I reminded them that there is a Test series coming up as well (Australia at home), so we need to take care of themselves as well,” he stated.
Reflecting on his half-century in the game, Rohit said: “I'm trying to change my game a bit now, have been trying to take the bowlers on and I think that's important. I know the big scores haven't come, but I'm not too worried about it.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
