India captain Virat Kohli on Sunday hailed his deputy Rohit Sharma for his stunning batting display, saying it is easy to chase down any target when the Mumbai batsman is at the other end.
Kohli (140) and Rohit (152*) shared a massive 246-run partnership for the second wicket as India mowed down a challenging 323-run target with 7.5 overs to spare. “It feels pretty good. It was very convincing for us. West Indies put up a really good total. 320 targets are very tricky, but we knew we could do it with a big partnership. It’s never too difficult when you have Rohit at the other end,” said Kohli.
“Among the top three, I mostly take the anchor role because both Rohit and Shikhar (Dhawan) are good stroke-makers,” he said.
Kohli was adjudged man-of-the-match for his 107-ball knock. “It was one of those days where I felt good and I told Rohit I will continue to bat this way positively and maybe you can play the anchor role,” he said.
Kohli said building partnerships is the key to success in ODI cricket. “When (Ambati) Rayudu came he took that role and Rohit took over from me. I think that’s what ODI batting is all about. It’s about communication and batting in partnerships,” he said.
“It’s our 5th or 6th double-century partnership, it’s a pleasure to bat with him (Rohit). When we are batting like that, it’s good fun out there and we know the team will benefit from it as well.”
The India captain refused to be tough on his bowlers but said they could have bowled much better at the death. “You got to be honest to the sport and that is when the sport gives you back. It’s difficult to contain when a side like West Indies bats like that. I don’t want to be too harsh on the bowlers, but yes, we could have applied a bit better and bowled better in the last few overs. That is something to learn for us,” Kohli said.
West Indies captain Jason Holder too felt the pair of Kohli and Rohit took the game away from the visitors. He also praised young Shimron Hetmyer, who scored 106 off 78 balls to propel West Indies to the total. “Pleased with the guys for the batting effort. Hetmyer batted exceptionally well. We needed to be a lot more decent with the ball. Probably we got a par score,” he said.
“(But) credit to Kohli and Rohit for taking the game away from us. Oshane (Thomas) is one of the exciting talents we have got. Hopefully we can play better in the second game.
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