IND vs SL: ‘He Has Come From Strength to Strength’ – Rohit Sharma lauds ‘Rare Talent’ Mohammed Siraj after decimating Sri Lanka in 3rd ODI

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma heaped huge praise for Mohammed Siraj who claimed four wickets in the third ODI against Sri Lanka at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. However, his four wickets played a crucial role in India’s 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka to start the ODI World Cup year on a high note. We bowled well, got wickets when we needed and the batters throughout the series piling on the runs was good to watch.

Running the non-striker out while bowling has been one of the most debatable topics in cricket in recent times. Majority of the Indian cricketers, on the other hand, have been on the other end of the discussion. Ravichandran Ashwin has been very vocal about it and recently reacted to Rohit Sharma’s withdrawal of Dasun Shanaka’s dismissal by Mohammed Shami in the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Guwahati. Even though the laws of the game approve this, many legendary cricketers including Michael Vaughan, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson have openly criticised the dismissal bringing the sportsman spirit into the discussion.

The announcement is set to happen soon, but all eyes will be on skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been recovering from a thumb injury. Rohit Sharma’s injury to keep him sidelined. As per a report by Cricbuzz, Rohit Sharma’s injury will be keeping him out of the setup for a little longer, whereas Kohli might only be seen in the ODI series. Rohit suffered the injury during the third ODI against Bangladesh, and as a result, was ruled out of the two-match Test which followed next.

“The way he has come up in the last few years is good to see. He has come from strength to strength and that’s really good for Indian cricket.” Siraj returned figures of 4-32 to help dismiss the tourists for 73 in 22 overs after India posted 390-5 with Virat Kohli smashing an unbeaten 166 in Thiruvananthapuram. The victory was the highest ever in ODI matches as India surpassed New Zealand’s 290-run thrashing of Ireland in 2008.

• India captain Rohit Sharma has scored 50+ scores for the most time in the World after 150 ODI innings. The India skipper has scored 50+ runs 61 times.
• Virat Kohli scored his 45th ODI hundred in the match, along with completing 12500 ODI runs as well. He also got his 37th ODI Player of the Match award.
• Virat Kohli also scored his 20th ODI hundred in India in the ODIs, equalling the tally with Sachin Tendulkar. The batter also has 25 ODI fifties to his name on Indian soil.
• Shubman Gill surpassed Shreyas Iyer to become the highest-scoring Indian in ODIs after 16 innings. He has 757 runs to his name.
• Rohit Sharma completed 9500 runs in ODIs on his 229th inning. The India captain is the 3rd fastest to reach the milestone, with Virat Kohli (200 innings) being the fastest.

“One or two performances helped me get confidence and I build on that. First I thought of my performance, then I realised performance or no performance I should execute each of my balls well.” He added: “Getting wickets with the new ball was important. And the opposition is on the back foot when you get early wickets.”

Batting first, with the help of tailenders, Sri Lanka somehow managed to put 215 runs on board and lost all their wickets in 39.4 overs. “I am going to keep repeating only one thing. The game situation is immaterial. That is a legitimate form of dismissal. And in fact, if you ask for an LBW appeal, or a caught behind appeal, nobody will check with the captain on whether they are sure of the appeal.

The former India head coach Ravi Shastri has once again dismissed the reports of any rift between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both Virat and Rohit enjoy a good relationship on and off the pitch but reports about the rift continue to emerge since the opener replaced Kohli as captain across all formats. Shastri responded to Virat and Rohit debate by saying that fans are stretching it for a time pass. He also clarified that everything is fine between star Indian batters and the rift between them is a trivial matter

Virat scored the highest 296 runs from just six innings in the T20 World Cup 2022 with the help of four fifties. He also added that the world will judge the former captain but Virat will put in his best. “I think in his career, that will be one of his finest T20 innings. No doubt about it, because the stage was that big. It was against Pakistan, the match was stuck for India, so to score runs there under pressure is a

Rohit was elated with the performance of the batters and bowlers throughout the series to complete a whitewash.. Lots of positives. We bowled well, got wickets when we needed and the batters throughout the series piling on the runs was good to watch,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.

“One thing that has stood out for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is getting hundreds, and Virat has got it back, Rohit Sharma needs to get it back at least before the World Cup, because these two guys will be extremely important if India has to go all the way and win the World Cup”, Gambhir signed off. “It’s not you didn’t get a 100 in one or two series, and that is one thing that is missing in Rohit’s game from the last World Cup. He used to get those big 100s, this time he’s looking in good form, he’s hitting the ball well but he has to convert.