India captain Rohit Sharma has praised Mohammed Shami for grabbing the opportunity with both hands in India’s four-wicket win over New Zealand in the World Cup on Sunday. Shami took a five-wicket haul in his first game of the tournament, and Rohit said that he used the conditions really well.
“Shami took the opportunity with both hands. He’s got class and so much experience and he used the conditions really well,” Rohit Sharma said at the post-match presentation.
Rohit also praised Virat Kohli for his magnificent 95, saying that he has been doing it for the country time and again.
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“Nothing much to say about Virat. We’ve seen him do this for so many years. He backs himself to do the job,” said the captain. “Towards the end, there was a bit of pressure with a few wickets lost, but Kohli and Jadeja took us home.”
On his own performance, Rohit said that he was happy to win even though he couldn’t get big enough runs himself.
“Shubman and I compliment each other quite well in the middle. Couldn’t get big enough runs ourselves but happy to win.”
India dropped a few catches in a rare shoddy fielding show, but Rohit said that he was not too concerned about it.
“Fielding is something we pride ourselves on. It wasn’t as clinical as we’d like to. Couple of dropped catches but those guys are good, Jadeja is among the best in the game. We love travelling and playing in different parts of the country. So far we have not been disappointed and we have not disappointed the crowd as well.”
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New Zealand captain Tom Latham said that his side were 30-40 runs short while batting. Mohammed Shami, who was named Player of the Match, said that it was important to get confidence early as he was coming back to the playing XI.
Rohit Sharma’s praise for Mohammed Shami is well-deserved. Shami has been one of India’s most consistent bowlers in recent years, and his five-wicket haul against New Zealand was a match-winning performance. India’s fielding was a concern, but Rohit Sharma is confident that the team will improve in that area. Overall, it was a very positive start to the World Cup for India, and they will be looking to build on this momentum in their next match against England.
