Rohit Sharma was a pleased captain after India completed a clean sweep over Sri Lanka with a resounding 317-run victory in the third and final ODI at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (January 15).
Opting to bat first, the Men in Blue piled up a mammoth 390/5 in their allotted 50 overs on the back of stunning centuries from Virat Kohli (166* off 110 balls) and Shubman Gill (116 off 97 balls).
Defending the total, Indian bowlers ran through the Sri Lankan batting line-up, bundling out the visitors for a paltry 73 in 22 overs. While Mohammed Siraj returned with the remarkable bowling figures of 4 for 32 in his 10 overs, Mohammad Shami (2-20) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-16) shared four scalps between them.
Speaking after the game, India skipper Rohit Sharma lauded his batters and was full of praise for Siraj, who wreaked havoc on Sri Lanka’s top order with the new ball.
“It was a great series for us. Lots of positives. We bowled well, got wickets when we needed and the batters throughout the series piling on the runs was good to watch,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Good to see how he (Siraj) was bowling and he deserved all those slips. He is a rare talent, the way he has come up over the last few years is good to see. He has come from strength to strength and that's really good for Indian cricket. We tried all sort of things (to get his fifer) but it didn't happen unfortunately. But the four wickets are all his and fifers will come. He has a few tricks up his sleeves which he is working on and it's there to see,” he added.
India’s next assignment is the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting January 18 in Hyderabad.
The Indian captain acknowledged that it won’t be an easy series against the Kiwis.
“We'll get to the drawing board quickly (for the next series) and see how the pitch is, then decide how the combinations will be. They (NZ) are coming off a series win in Pakistan, so it won't be an easy task at all,” Rohit concluded.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
