Bridgetown [Barbados], : With India ace batter Virat Kohli saving his best for the last, India captain Rohit Sharma had nothing but love for the departing ace batter and opened up about the 35-year-old right-hander's impressive comeback in a final match of the ICC T20 World Cup.
Prior to India's championship match against South Africa at the Kensington Oval, the India captain had thrown his support behind an under-fire Kohli, predicting his predecessor to brush aside his subpar performance.
After having a dismal tournament run, Kohli saved his best for the championship match. After the team was dropped for three wickets in the powerplay, Kohli continued India's innings at a steady pace.
He started the innings with three boundaries in the first over and laboured his way to a half-century off 49 balls before picking up speed in the final overs. With his 59-ball 76, he won Player of the Match and helped India record a strong 176/7.
After the match Kohli announced his retirement from the T20I format, Rohit called Kohli's innings "very crucial" and praised his efforts for the team over the years.
"Throughout the tournament, I think we were fantastic. Not me and nobody was in doubt with Virat's form. We know the quality he has, he's been on top of his game for 15 years, and come the occasion the big players will stand up. Virat was holding that one end which was very crucial for us and the others played around him. For us to get to that total, it was a team effort. We wanted someone to bat as long as possible. These are not wickets where you can come and bat freely and keep the scoreboard ticking straight away, so we do understand that. We wanted somebody to bat as long as possible and Virat did that perfectly. That's where the experience of Virat comes through," Rohit said in a post-match presentation.
{{/usCountry}}"Throughout the tournament, I think we were fantastic. Not me and nobody was in doubt with Virat's form. We know the quality he has, he's been on top of his game for 15 years, and come the occasion the big players will stand up. Virat was holding that one end which was very crucial for us and the others played around him. For us to get to that total, it was a team effort. We wanted someone to bat as long as possible. These are not wickets where you can come and bat freely and keep the scoreboard ticking straight away, so we do understand that. We wanted somebody to bat as long as possible and Virat did that perfectly. That's where the experience of Virat comes through," Rohit said in a post-match presentation.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian skipper attributed the team's victory in the World Cup to the amazing work they had done during Rahul Dravid's three-year leadership. Despite playing well, Rohit claimed that India had been under pressure and that winning the title in Barbados was a great relief.
The procedures and preparations that India underwent over the previous few years, which resulted in their victory in a tight final versus South Africa in Barbados, were praised by Rohit.
"Very hard to sum up what we have been through for the last 3-4 years. To be honest, we worked very hard as individuals and as a team a team, lot has gone on behind the scenes for us to be here today and win this game. It is not what we did today, it is what we have been doing for the last 3-4 years. That's the result that has come for us today. We have played lots of high-pressure games in the past as well and have been on the wrong side as well. But the guys understand what needs to be done," said the India captain.
"We wanted to win this, but I know to win a tournament like this, a lot goes behind the scenes. A lot of effort, lot of minds need to come together, and I'm very, very proud of the bunch of boys that I have, and the management as well. For giving us the liberty to go and play and execute and having that trust in each one of us. That has to start from the management, coach-captain, and the players go out there to do it. Throughout the tournament, we were fantastic," Rohit said.
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