Captain Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Ishan Kishan after the young opener starred in India’s 62-run win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I with a blistering 89-run knock on Thursday. Rohit was particularly pleased with the return of Ravindra Jadeja, saying team management expect him to play a crucial role with the racquet given the star all-rounder’s rich form in Test and Limited Over format.
India rode Ishan and Shreya Iyer’s brilliant fifties to their tenth consecutive victory as they beat Sri Lanka by 62 runs in the first of the three-game T20I series at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday.
India vs. Sri Lanka, 1st T20I: Highlights
India posted a challenging 199 total for 2 after being asked to bat first and in response the visitors failed to get going after losing in-form opener Pathum Nissanka to a golden duck as the Indian bowlers continued with precise hit bowling. It seemed all over for them at 97/6, but mid-order batsman Charith Asalanka struggled with a brave batting effort, going unbeaten on 53 of 47 deliveries.
“When you play some kind of support we play, those things [dips in form] will inevitably happen. I know Ishan’s mindset and skills and it was very, very gratifying to watch him bat today,” said Rohit Sharma at the awards ceremony after the game.
“He was building up the innings after six overs, which was more gratifying. It wasn’t about coming and hitting the ball, it was also about finding the gaps,” added Rohit.
“[On Jadeja] Very happy with him. We want more from him so we sent him the order up and you’ll see more of that in the upcoming games. He’s in good form, especially in Test cricket, and we want to capitalize on that in limited-overs. We’ll see if we can promote him in the future,” Rohit continued.
Rohit points to field ailments
However, Rohit pointed out that the Indian field coach is out of work after the team lost some key catches against Sri Lanka. Rohit said he wants the Indian team to be the best field team in Australia.
“I love playing on big pitches because that’s where you’re put to the test as a batsman. In Kolkata you can just time the ball to a six. We’re dropping a few catches, which isn’t expected at this level. I think our field coach still has a lot to do. We want to be the best field team in Australia,” concluded Rohit.
