We did not stand up to pressure, says Rohit
SYDNEY: Rohit Sharma was disappointed after his ODI century in Australia ended in defeat for the fourth time on Saturday. The limited-overs vice-captain though warned that India batsmen can ill-afford not to cash in during the middle overs with the World Cup fast approaching.
Rohit Sharma’s anchoring innings (133) went into the 46th over, but it met the fate of his 138 (MCG, 2015), 171* (Perth, 2016), 124 (Brisbane, 2016).
“The thought was to build partnerships because the wicket was still playing good,” Rohit told reporters. “Unfortunately, we kept losing wickets, the first three wickets and then when we were going strong, MS (Dhoni) got out.
“These are the games that will teach you a lot as batsman. You will be put under pressure and there will be times when you have to combat these kind of games where you will lose wickets. Then what you do after that (is the key),” he said.
“We’ve said enough about learning, it is time to go out and execute. Take the pressure, absorb it and take it forward. International cricket is all about absorbing pressure. Today was the perfect example, we were put under pressure and we were not able to absorb pressure.”
The cheap dismissals of Virat Kohli and Ambati Rayudu forced Rohit and Dhoni into the slow mode during their 137-run stand. Once Dhoni fell, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja followed quickly. Dhoni’s 51 came off 96 balls, but Rohit backed him.
“I feel his batting at No 4 will be ideal for the team, but we have Rayudu who has done well there. It totally depends on what the captain and coach think.”
Jhys Richardson, the 22-yearold Aussie pacer, was delighted after taking a career-best 4/26 to claim Man-of-the-match award. “Justin (Langer, coach) has said ‘it’s a great opportunity to be able to push your selection for the World Cup’. But we’ve still got a lot of white-ball cricket between now and then.
“It’ll be for me to concentrate on these two games then if I’m lucky enough to get picked for the next tour, it’ll be concentrating on those games.”
Rohit praised Richardson. “He looks a great prospect. He has got great variations. When you have those skills, the job of the captain also becomes easier.”