Heaping praise on Rohit Sharma, former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said that the opener knows his responsibility well and how to build an innings more conservatively.
Maintaining his excellent form in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup, Rohit on Tuesday became the first Indian and second overall to score four centuries in a single World Cup edition. It was Rohit’s knock of 104 runs which propelled the Men in Blue to 314/9 against Bangladesh.
“Four amazing centuries in a single ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is remarkable. He is now level with Kumar Sangakkara for the most-ever in a single World Cup, and I thought he was exceptional against Bangladesh,” Srikkanth wrote in his ICC column.
“You cannot ask for anything more from an opening batsman. Rohit knows when to attack and when to build an innings more conservatively. In this game he was aggressive from the start and his 104 really gave India the momentum early on. Contrast that with the hundred he scored against South Africa in the first game, two completely different innings, but equally as important,” he added.
Meanwhile, Srikkanth also lauded KL Rahul and said the opener too, has impressed.
“I’ve been impressed by KL Rahul as well. He’d got a couple of good starts, but he went on and made 77 against Bangladesh and I’m sure a hundred is just around the corner. He looks to be gaining in confidence and is becoming another important player at the top of the order,” opined the 59-year-old.
Srikkanth also said that the 28-run win over the Bangla Tigers was a result of a complete team effort.
“The great thing about the win over Bangladesh was that it was not just relying on one man. This game, and much of the tournament has been about teamwork for India. Yes, Rohit scored a century and was deservedly player of the match, but everyone chipped in and played their part,” he stated.
“India ended up winning by 28 runs, so the contributions of Rishabh Pant (48), MS Dhoni (35) and Virat Kohli (26) were important too,” Srikkanth added.
He also felt that Bangladesh has improved in the recent past but they are a bit more reliant on all-rounders Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.
“Perhaps they are a little too reliant on Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, but it really feels like they have evolved as a team,” he concluded.