Virender Sehwag, the former India opener has lauded newly appointed full-time limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma for making an impact on his return after injury. He commended the right-hander for his impressive captaincy and batting in the ODI series opener against West Indies.
In a video shared by Virender Sehwag on his social media accounts, he pointed out how Rohit Sharma has made a thumping comeback after missing the entire South Africa tour because of his hamstring injury.
Virender Sehwag: Rohit Sharma Has Made A Brilliant Comeback
India’s white-ball captain showcased stunning form in the encounter, scoring 60 crucial runs at the top from just 51 deliveries. His knock was instrumental in the hosts clinching the contest by six wickets.
Rohit Sharma’s stint as the full-time ODI captain of Indian cricket got the perfect start as the Men in Blue defeated West Indies by six wickets in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. In what was a historic occasion for India as they became the first team to play 1000 ODIs in history, they dominated the visitors from start to finish.
Sehwag said: “Rohit Sharma, who missed the South Africa tour due to injury, has made a brilliant comeback. While India won the match under his captaincy, he also contributed significantly with that bat.”
Virender Sehwag added that many expected ex-captain Virat Kohli to perform with the bat, as he is due for a big knock for a while now. He pointed out that while the star batter started off well by slamming two boundaries, he perished trying to play the pull shot.
“Everybody thought that India would win the game by 8-9 wickets. The openers gave a great start. It was expected that Virat Kohli would impress with the bat. He started off that way too, but unluckily got caught at fine leg.”
Rohit Sharma, who was making a comeback to the international stage after a two-month layoff due to a hamstring injury looked in fine touch before being dismissed after a knock of 60 in 51 deliveries. But he had ensured India is on the path to victory.
Virender Sehwag: Rishabh Pant Was Unlucky While Suryakumar Yadav And Deepak Hooda Showed Great Composure To Finish The Game
India then lost Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant in quick succession as well. Virender Sehwag labelled Rishabh Pant’s runout as unlucky. The southpaw was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph at the non-striker’s end as he used his shoe to deflect Suryakumar Yadav’s straight drive back to the stumps.
Rishabh Pant had to take the long walk back as he was caught outside his crease. Suryakumar Yadav and debutant Deepak Hooda then steadied the ship for the Men in Blue. Virender Sehwag hailed the duo for seeing India through with their unbeaten 62-run partnership.
The former cricketer noted that India’s middle-order had failed to do the job in South Africa and it was good to see the two batters take responsibility on Sunday.
“Rishabh Pant was unlucky. Very rarely it happens that a batter hits a perfect straight drive and the non-striker gets run out because of it. At this juncture, it seemed West Indies would make a comeback, as India’s middle-order is inexperienced.
“Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda showcased great composure and finished off the game, which we did not see in South Africa from our middle-order and lower middle-order batters.”
Rohit Sharma’s 84-run opening stand with Ishan Kishan put India in a comfortable position despite Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, and Rishabh Pant departing in quick succession.
Earlier, Indian spinners helped restrict West Indies to a score of just 176 after Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first. Yuzvendra Chahal took four wickets while Washington Sundar, who was playing an international game for India for the first time since March last year took three scalps.
India will resume their battle and try to win the ODI series with an unassailable lead against West Indies on Wednesday, February 9 as they lock horns in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Brief Score: West Indies: 176 in 43.5 overs (Jason Holder 57, Yuzvendra Chahal 4/49, Washington Sundar 3/30, Prasidh Krishna 2/29). India: 178 for 4 in 28 overs (Rohit Sharma 60; Alzarri Joseph 2/45).