‘There was a lot of chatter between the two of us’: Rohit Sharma opens up about match-winning partnership against Australia in Sydney
Rohit Sharma opens up about match-winning partnership against Australia in Sydney
On Saturday in Sydney, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turned back the clock as the two Indian stalwarts guided India to a commanding 9-wicket win over Australia in the third and final ODI. Although Australia had already sealed the series by winning the first two games, Rohit’s brilliant 121 and Kohli’s composed 74 gave Indian fans plenty to cheer about.
Rohit said, “Yes, it was a fantastic partnership after a long time. We hadn’t had a 100-run stand in quite a while. It was very important for the team, especially considering the situation we were in at one stage. We lost Gill early — not too early, but around 40–45 runs when he got out. So, with Shreyas not in the side, there was added responsibility on the batters. We built a great partnership together and enjoyed every moment out there. There was a lot of chatter between the two of us. Having played so much cricket together, we understand each other really well. It was all about reading the situation and doing what was needed at that point. Our experience helped a lot, and we used it really well.”
Returning to the team after a long break, the Mumbai batter also spoke about his and India’s mindset going into the 237-run chase.
He said, “When we started batting, it was a bit challenging at first with two new balls. The pitch was behaving slightly unpredictably early on. But we knew that once the shine wore off, batting would become easier. That was the plan — I wanted to bat as deep as possible and take the game till the end.”
He further added, “Sometimes you plan a lot of things and they don’t work out. But today was one of those days when everything went according to plan. I thought, ‘This is what I have to do,’ and it all came together perfectly. When you play in Australia, you have to plan your game carefully. All the understanding and experience I had from previous tours really helped me today.”
This was the first time Rohit and Virat returned to the Indian side since the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, where India lifted the trophy. Since then, both players have retired from Test cricket. Earlier, they had also retired from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup last year.
