"I think he is made for captaincy" - Reetinder Sodhi on Rohit Sharma leading Team India to an emphatic win in the 1st Test vs SL
Reetinder Sodhi has lauded Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the first Test against Sri Lanka and opined that the Mumbaikar was destined to lead Team India.
The Indian team thrashed the visiting Lankan side by an innings and 222 runs in the first Test in Mohali. The win marked an excellent start to Rohit Sharma's stint as Team India's Test skipper.
During an interaction on India News, Reetinder Sodhi was asked to rate Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the first Test. He replied:
"You will have to praise Rohit Sharma a lot, he did splendid captaincy. It was his first Test match, a few nerves are there but that was not seen in Rohit Sharma. I think he is made for captaincy."
The former India all-rounder added that Rohit Sharma had stood out in all facets of captaincy. Reetinder Sodhi explained:
"He has played so much cricket, captaincy was knocking on his doors and now he is the captain in all three formats. He won India the match in three days. He will be very happy, the XI he played was perfect and his field placements and bowling changes were amazing. Rohit Sharma's confidence was clearly visible."
Rohit Sharma exhibited a calm and collected approach on the field, as is his wont. However, he has bigger tests ahead of him when Team India face stronger opposition, especially in overseas conditions.
"He was class apart" - Reetinder Sodhi on Ravindra Jadeja's 175-run-knock
Reetinder Sodhi was also asked about Ravindra Jadeja's all-round performance in the first Test. He responded:
"When Ravindra Jadeja's name comes, you are reminded of his sword celebration. How well he batted, destructive batting, I think he was class apart. The way he was finding the gaps was praiseworthy."
The under-15 World Cup-winning Indian skipper concluded by pointing out that Jadeja has silenced his critics with his performance. Reetinder Sodhi said:
"And then the bowling which was the icing on the cake. This match was in Ravindra Jadeja's name. He was struggling, he had some niggles but he has answered his critics splendidly. Well done, we expect you to keep swinging the sword like this."
Jadeja smashed an unbeaten 175 which helped Team India post a mammoth score of 574/8 declared in their first innings. The left-arm spinner then scalped nine wickets across Sri Lanka's two innings to finish with one of the best ever all-round performances in a Test match.