Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara has heaped praise on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Both the batsmen have been instrumental in the success of the team in the last few years and their performances have been top class. Both Rohit and Virat have together aggregated 35930 runs in all the three forms of the game and they have taken Indian cricket to new heights.
Kumar Sangakkara stated that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the defining pair for India in the modern era. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have scored 4878 runs while batting together in 80 ODI innings at an impressive average of 65.04. The duo has added 18 centuries and 15 half-centuries stand in the 50-overs version of the game.
Not fair to degrade what Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli has achieved – Kumar Sangakkara
In fact, many cricket pundits question the credentials of the modern-day batsman as the rules have changed and the batsmanship has become easier. However, Sangakkara feels it is not easy to keep the consistency in all the three forms of the game.
“There is something very special about Virat and Rohit. That fact that rules have changed and run-scoring might have become slightly easier in one-day cricket, but it’s incredibly hard, the volume of cricket that India athletes play,” Sangakkara said on Star Sports’ ‘Cricket Connected’.
“So, I think you have to have a lot of respect for Rohit and Virat but understand that it’s all because of the players that have gone before and have done all the hard work then as well.
“So, it’s a knock-on effect, so in every era, there’s always a defining pair and in the modern era, it’s Rohit and Virat for India for sure.”
On the other hand, Kumar Sangakkara also likened Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to successful batsmen of the previous era, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly. Sangakkara added that both Rohit and Virat play conventional shots and the results follow for them.
“If you take the modern-day game, India has two of the best players in Virat and Rohit, who play orthodox cricket but who are just absolutely destructive in any format of the game. You don’t have to muscle the ball or put too much effort or look ugly doing it, they just play good cricket shots and results come,” he concluded.