IND vs NZ: 'He knows my weakness and I know his strength, it's a good fight': Rohit opens up on battle with MI teammate

1st T20I, IND vs NZ: Skipper Rohit Sharma opened up on the battle with Mumbia Indians teammate and key New Zealand pacer and explained how the pacer approaches certain situations.

Team India, under new head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma, got off to a winning start as they beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in the first T20I in Jaipur on Wednesday. All the departments of the side performed well and Rohit Sharma had a few words for opposition bowler Trent Boult

Jaipur: India's Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the first Twenty20 cricket match between India and New Zealand at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, in Jaipur, Wednesday, Nov 17, 2021. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)(PTI11_17_2021_000225A) (PTI)

Both Rohit and Boult know each other very well. They play for the same IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians. Hence, whenever they go up against each other, they tend to know what the other is going to do. And by Rohit's own admission, the theory held true at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

HIGHLIGHTS| IND PIP NZ

While speaking to the broadcasters in the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit explained how Boult tends to approach his bowling at certain points.

We (Boult and I) played a lot of cricket together and he knows my weakness and I know his strength, it's a good fight between the two. When I captain him I always tell him to bluff, and that's exactly what he did. He put the mid-wicket back and put the fine leg up and I knew he was gonna bowl a bouncer and I was just trying to put it over the fielder but unfortunately, there wasn't much pace on the ball," quipped Boult.

Rohit also had a few words of praise for Suryakumar Yadav, with whom he shared a 59-run stand for the second wicket. While Rohit fell on 48, Yadav scored an impressive 62.

"Surya batted brilliantly and that's how he plays, he played some percentage shots as well and plays spin really well and uses the pace well for the fast bowlers," said Rohit.

After being put in to bat, the Black Caps scored 164/6 in 20 overs. Martin Guptill (70) and Mark Chapman (63) were the top scorers. In response, India chased down the target with five wickets and 2 balls to spare.