Rohit credits top order for historic series victory
: For a team that has won all the major one-day tournaments --- World Cup, Champions Trophy and multination World Series Cup, victories in bilateral series or tri-series in top cricketing nations have been few and far between.
While they have won just two of the eight bilateral series in England – one was given on run rate, they have clinched just one tri-series tournament in Australia with no wins in bilateral series. On Tuesday, they finally clinched their first bilateral ODI series in South Africa.
Rohit Sharma, who scored a match-winning century at the St George’s Park here on Tuesday and was also part of the tri-series win in Australia in 2008, said this victory is special.
“This will be right up there. After 25 years, we have won a series in South Africa. Not the easiest place to play cricket, definitely not the easiest place to win a series. We won the tri-series in Australia. Even that series was quite tough. For me, it is difficult to compare the two. I mean it is difficult to say which series means more but I think this series means a lot to us. The way we played from the first game, we have dominated the series.”
Skipper Virat Kohli said, “Only one team had the pressure of losing this series (South Africa). It is history and the guys have worked hard for it. Ever since the third Test in Johannesburg, it’s been a good time for us. It’s been a collective effort to create history.”
Rohit added that the dominant performance will go a long way in helping the team get into the habit of winning overseas.
“It was a dominant performance from us. It will only give us confidence as a team to go outside and keep winning those series,” said Rohit.
Rohit felt the victory has been made possible because of the contribution of the top three and felt that the middle order or the lower order hasn’t got enough opportunity to bat.
“Whatever series we have played before, in India and in Champions Trophy, a lot of the scoring has been done by the top three guys. It augurs well for the team. We always talk about batsmen batting through the innings. That is what we are trying to do. The top three have got the best opportunity because they get to play maximum balls. So our three’s responsibility is that if we are set then we have to try and play long.”
PORT ELIZABETH Whatever series we have played before, in India and Champions Trophy, a lot of scoring has been done by the top three. ROHIT SHARMA, On the top order