Virat Is One Of The Best Chasers In The World: Rohit Sharma

Melbourne: Virat Kohli scored a superb 82*off 53 balls to help India post a sensational four-wicket win in their opening Super 12 fixture against Pakistan at Melbourne.

After the match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stated that Kohli’s knock is one of the best played by an Indian batter.

“His best for sure. But from the situation we were in – and to come out with a victory – I think it has to be one of India’s best knocks [too], not just his best. Because until the 13th over we were so behind the game, and the required rate was just climbing up and up. But to come out and chase that score was an extremely brilliant effort from Virat, and then obviously Hardik Pandya played a role there as well,” said Rohit in the post-match press conference.

Rohit also added that the expectations are always high when it comes to Virat Kohli.

“Look, I honestly don’t think he was struggling with form or anything. He was batting as good as he was. But with him, the expectation is always so high that even if he gets a good 30 or 40, people tend to talk about it,” added Rohit.

The Indian skipper also said that Kohli has been in a good space mentally ever since the 2022 Asia Cup. Rohit also labelled the 33-year-old as one of the best chasers in world cricket.

“From the team-management perspective, I thought he was in a good space right from the Asia Cup, where he got a month off and then came back. He was fresh, got a brilliant hundred there, got a couple of fifties if I’m not wrong, and then leading up to the World Cup, we know the quality that he has, and he’s done so well in these type of conditions in all three forms,” added Rohit.

“Obviously, he used his experience today more than anything else, staying calm under pressure, and we know how good he is when the score is in front of him. He’s one of the best chasers in the world.”

Rohit also lauded Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh for the way they bowled with the new ball.

“With the way Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and Arshdeep were swinging the ball, our initial plan was to just try and pitch it up, and see if we can get the ball to swing. The first four or five overs was brilliant to watch, honestly. For a little while it felt like a Test match because of the way the ball was moving around, and [because of] the carry in the pitch,” said Rohit.