Stand-in
captain Virender Sehwag lavished praise on the young duo of Virat Kohli
and Rohit Sharma stating that they batted as if they were 'veteran of
200 matches.'
'They both batted with lot of maturity as if they have played 200 matches in between them although they have only played around 60-70 matches,' Sehwag told the media persons at the post-match conference. |
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The
skipper said he was happy that Rohit kept his vow to finish the game
this time around as he remained unbeaten to guide India to a five-wicket
win.
'I am pretty happy with their performance. Especially with that of Rohit Sharma. Yesterday he had promised that he would finish the game for us and he did just that. Also Virat Kohli batted superbly.' Sehwag feels that both Kohli and Sharma would get the requisite confidence from this series before embarking on a tough assignment of Australia later this month. 'It's important for everyone whoever going to Australia to take the confidence and play well there. It's a big challenge in Australia. I am sure they will handle the pressure well. They will practice hard and get used to bounce and play well there.' Sehwag was also effusive in his praise for the new-ball duo of Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav. 'With the new ball, both Umesh and Vinay bowled really well. They are learning and improving with each match.' Sehwag also praised Ravi Rampaul for his record breaking 86 runs coming in at No 10. 'Suddenly, Rampaul came in and he started connecting. I tried everything. The day belonged to Rampaul. Every ball he connected went to six or four. Credit goes to him also for putting a challenging total.' The captain didn't seem too concerned about his own form and feels that it's just a matter of time and may be Motera will be his day. 'I am not thinking about myself. My batting is natural. I am not worried about myself. Sometimes you hit from the first ball but today I was not connecting well. Everything was going towards third men. Sometimes you work hard but remain edgy in your innings. But hopefully, I will do well when I go to Ahmedabad.' Similarly he had words of encouragement for Ravichandran Ashwin who got hammered by Rampaul. 'It happens sometimes. Like today was Ashwin's off day. He went for 74 runs in 10 overs. It happens with batsmen also. I totally agree and am aware of that.' Like an elder statesman, he also defended Parthiv Patel's failure at the top of the order. 'Right now, we are not worried about Parthiv. It happens with openers. When you come out to open the batting after keeping wickets for 50 overs, your legs are tired. But he has to learn. He has to be consistent. He is still a young lad. I am sure he will do well in the coming matches.' Meanwhile, Virat Kohli intends to make hay till the sun shines. 'I know you can't continue in good form for ever. Therefore I want this good form to be extended as much as possible because when never know when you hit a bad patch,' Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony while receiving his man of the match award. 'It's the worst thing that a batsman has to go though. Suddenly, there will be a five-match series and a few low scores would make things difficult for you,' he said. He has now scored two centuries at this particular ground but Kohli feels that both innings can't be compared. 'You can't compare my century against Australia with any effort. Against Australia, the wicket was slow and scoring wasn't really difficult. But today, it wasn't a wicket where you could just go out there and play your shots. You needed time to adjust before starting to play your shots,' Kohli explained. Asked about his 163-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, Kohli said, 'It's always been a great experience to bat with Rohit. Batting together, we are constantly learning about how to put partnerships.' Rival skipper Darren Sammy expressed his disappointment at not being able to deliver the knock-out punch. 'We tried to punch the Indians but they punched us harder. Ravi played well and it was great to see Kemar bowl like this. The smile is back on his face but somehow we are not being able to give the final push.' |