‘It broke the backbone of opposition’: Inzamam identifies ‘class’ India player, calls him game-changer

With Ashwin included in the Playing XI and Rohit Sharma back opening the innings after batting at 3 against New Zealand, Inzamam reckons India have nailed the right selection, which has worked in their favour.

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq is happy to see India back playing to their potential as Virat Kohli’s unit registered back-to-back wins, first against Afghanistan on Wednesday and more recently against Scotland on Friday to keep themselves alive at the T20 World Cup.

Inzamam-ul-Haq

India defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs, followed by an even more emphatic 8-wicket win with 81 balls to spare, which has now boosted their net run rate to +1.619, giving them a chance of making it to the semi-finals provided Afghanistan are able to beat New Zealand on Sunday and India make it three in a row against Namibia.

Watching India's turnaround, Inzamam feels one of the things India have improved over the last couple of matches is get their team right. With R Ashwin included in the Playing XI and Rohit Sharma back opening the innings after batting at 3 against New Zealand, Inzamam reckons India have nailed the right selection, which has worked in their favour.

"India's selection has gotten better, and I say that because they included Ashwin and made Rohit open in the XI. In the second match, they made Rohit bat at 3 and showed that you are not confident about your players. Rohit is the kind of player in ODIs and T20Is who can change the game single-handedly and the start he gave against Rashid Khan, who is Afghanistan's main – really ensured the momentum going India’s way," Inzamam said on his YouTube channel.

Weighing in further on Rohit's knock of 74 off 47 balls including three sixes and eight fours, Inzamam appeared mighty impressed by the India opener's knack of going after the key bowler from the opposition line-up. On Wednesday, against Rashid Khan, India did not hold back and hit the former Afghanistan captain for 36 runs, keeping him wicketless. Inzamam reckons such fearless approach from Rohit against Afghanistan's 'main' bowler is what makes him a threat.

"Such an attack breaks the backbone of the opposition. When he hit Rashid for 2 sixes, the other bowlers also got demotivated. This is Rohit's class. His USP is that he attacks the best bowler in the opposition team. He was terrific the other evening. Shami, who was under so much pressure after the Pakistan match, delivered and picked up 3 wickets. India finally played like the team it is known for," the former captain pointed out.