After his team’s heartbreaking five-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the Super-4 clash of the Asia Cup 2022, India skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that the arch-rivals played better cricket than them.
Asked to bat first, the Men in Blue posted 181/7 in their 20 overs on the back of Virat Kohli’s 44-ball 60 and vital contributions from skipper Rohit Sharma (28 off 16 balls) and KL Rahul (28 off 20 balls).
In reply, Pakistan rode on the 73-run stand between Mohammad Nawaz (42 off 20 balls) and Mohammad Rizwan (71 off 51 balls) to get over the line with one delivery to spare.
“It’s a high pressure game we know that. You’ve got to be at it every time. A game like that can take a lot. We were calm even when there was a partnership between Rizwan and Nawaz. But that partnership obviously went a little long and they batted brilliantly. Games like this can bring the best out of them if they deliver. These are the games that can make them. They’ve done it in the past. There’s a class in the other team as well. And we’re not surprised with that,” said Rohit at the post-match presentation ceremony in Dubai on Sunday (September 4).
“I thought it was a good score. Any pitch, any conditions when you get 180 it’s a good score. We got to learn a lot today – what sort of mindset we need to have when defending a score like that. Like I said you’ve got to give credit to Pakistan. They’ve played better than us,” he added.
The Indian captain also lauded Kohli’s contribution with the bat, saying that his predecessor’s form is brilliant in the ongoing Asia Cup.
“The form (Kohli’s) is brilliant. Needed someone to bat long when the others were getting out. He batted with that tempo as well. Virat getting that score was crucial from the team’s point of view. Wickets of Hardik and Rishabh was not needed at that time. But we want to play with an open mindset. While taking that approach you’ll not always have success,” Rohit said.
India will aim to return to winning ways when they face Sri Lanka in their next Super-4 clash on Tuesday (September 6). On the other hand, Pakistan will take on Afghanistan in their next match on Wednesday (September 7).
