'Very Important Player' - Rohit Praises Hardik Pandya After All-Round Performance Vs BAN
India wins by 50-runs against Bangladesh in T20 WC (X.com)
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for his team, especially the batters and Hardik Pandya, after securing a comfortable 50-win victory against Bangladesh in the key Super 8 game of the T20 World Cup.
Indian cricket team's dominance in the 2024 T20 World Cup continued on Saturday as they outclassed Bangladesh by 50 runs to extend the unbeaten streak.
Hardik Pandya's half-century steered India to 196 runs before Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah broke Bangladesh's back with five wickets combined.
That being said, winning captain Rohit Sharma credited his team for adapting to the conditions quickly and batting smartly.
"I have been talking about that for a long time. It's just about going out there and putting in the work. We know how to go out there and work. We did well to adapt to the conditions. Wind is a factor here and you have adapt to it. We were smart with the bat and we adjusted well with the conditions here with the ball," Rohit said.
Rohit added that batters needed to play their respective roles today. He acknowledged that despite only one batter getting a half-century, the team finished with 196 runs, which reflects the team effort.
"All the batters need to play their role, whatever it is. We saw only one batter get to 50 and still get to 190. It's not about getting to 50s or 100s. It's about going out there and play their roles. Obviously, we have to adapt to the conditions but we have a lot of experience in the side and we want them to back them to play their roles."
Interestingly, Rohit Sharma praised Hardik Pandya for his crucial finish in the end. The captain opined that if Hardik turns up like every game, India will be in a good spot.
"Hardik's form puts us in a good position. Hardik being Hardik. We know what he is capable of and he showed what he can do with the bat. A very important player for us. If he can do that, we will be in very good positions."
Rohit Sharma revealed that emotions run high when his bowlers pick up crucial wickets, and his aggressive celebrations are just out of the heat of the moment.
"It's the excitement of every wicket you take. If you discuss something with the bowler and it falls in place, that's the game and that's what it is. You talk a lot off the field but executing it on the field is different. We asked the bowlers to do some things on the field and they delivered," he concluded.
Overall, Rohit lauded his fielders as well as bowlers for proper execution which led India to yet another comfortable victory.