"It shows why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are so valuable for this team" - Pragyan Ojha lauds Rohit's century in 3rd IND vs AFG T20I
Pragyan Ojha has said that Rohit Sharma's knock in the third T20I between India and Afghanistan shows his and Virat Kohli's value for the Men in Blue.
Rohit smashed an unbeaten 121 off 69 in India's total of 212/4 in the final T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17. Although the main game and the first Super Over ended in a tie, the hosts eventually won the contest in the second Super Over to complete a 3-0 series clean-sweep.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Ojha was effusive in his praise for Rohit for playing as per the demands of the situation, explaining:
"The situation was grim. When he started, he knew they were bowling well, they were bowling good lengths, so he gave them respect. However, after that, the way he kept driving the game, he tactfully took every step."
"It shows why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are so valuable for this team. It's very important not only for you to play in such situations but also to take the youngsters along with you," the former India spinner added.
Rohit smoked 11 fours and eight sixes during his unbeaten 121-run effort. Apart from his century in the main game, he contributed 24 of India's 27 runs in the two Super Overs.
"The calmness was maintained because Rohit Sharma was there in the middle and managing things" - Pragyan Ojha on his partnership with Rinku Singh
Pragyan Ojha lauded Rohit Sharma for guiding Rinku Singh (69* off 39) during their partnership, elaborating:
"We are talking about Rohit but Rinku also showed maturity. Their understanding was fantastic. The calmness was maintained because Rohit Sharma was there in the middle and managing things."
The cricketer-turned-commentator expects Rohit and Virat Kohli to continue making such contributions going forward:
"In matches going ahead, you will see such contributions from Virat Kohli and Rohit, who are the senior members, and such things are being expected from them."
Rinku joined Rohit in the middle when India were in dire straits at 22-4, having lost Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson's wickets in 4.3 overs.
The duo first batted slightly cautiously before launching a brutal attack on the Afghanistan bowlers in the last few overs, with 103 runs coming in the final five, including 58 in the last two.