India vs Windies | Rohit Sharma praises Ambati Rayudu's ton in 4th ODI
Rohit Sharma has appreciated Ambati Rayudu's batting performance at number four in the fourth ODI against the Windies in Mumbai on Monday and stated that Rayudu has grabbed the opportunities with both the hands. Sharma further added that once they were set yesterday they just wanted to carry on.
After a one-sided victory against Windies, India is leading the five-match ODI series 2-1 with one more game remaining in the series. Sharma and Rayudu stitched together an important partnership worth 211 runs for the third wicket which took India to a mammoth total of 377/5 in 50 overs. Sharma (162) and Rayudu (100) both batted brilliantly in the game as Sharma got to his 21st ton and Rayudu scored his third in ODIs. In reply, the Windies were bundled up for 153 with left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed taking three wickets.
Sharma praised Rayudu during the post-match press conference saying that although there was pressure after the fall of the first two wickets, the partnership provided a proper platform.
“Once you are set, you gotta make it count and that is what me and Rayudu did in the middle. We carried for as long as we did,” Sharma said during the press conference, reported PTI.
“He(Rayudu) batted brilliantly because at that point a big partnership was needed and it was a perfect platform for him and it was a great platform for him to showcase what he has got. There was pressure, of course, losing top two batsmen and building a partnership was important. So it was a pressure innings and I thought he responded well to the situation.”
Rayudu has almost cemented his place at number four with some good performance at the crucial number four where he has scored runs from the Asian Cup which was held last month in the UAE. Sharma also said that after getting to his fifty, Rayudu started playing his shots and that is the way he bats whenever he gets good starts.
“He batted freely, once he got to 50 he started playing shots. We have known Rayudu for a long time and he can produce innings like this. That’s probably the reason we got him at number 4 and he has not disappointed," said Sharma.
“Whatever opportunities he has got since Asia Cup and in this series, he has grabbed it both the hands.”
The Indian skipper Virat Kohli also appreciated Rayudu during the presentation saying, “Rayudu has taken his chance with both his hands. We need to back him till the 2019 World Cup . he reads the game and so we are happy, that someone intelligent is batting at the no. 4.”
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