Ind vs SA | Credit goes to Rohit for overcoming anxiety and hesitation, says Virat Kohli

Rohit always managed to give India great starts and with his high percentage of low-risk shots and composure made sure that he put India in the diver's seat every time he came out to bat. This opening partnership was the one thing that was hurting India in overseas tours. But now, Rohit has shown promise and along with Mayank Agarwal has formed a solid opening partnership for India. Virat Kohli believes that Rohit deserves all the credit and praise as India comfortably whitewashed South Africa 3-0. 

"Credit solely goes to the player for the way he overcame his anxiety and hesitation and performed in such a manner that he was adjudged Man-of-the-Series in the first series as an opener. It's been outstanding for him," Kohli told TOI.

Rohit Sharma had already established himself as a white-ball great and probably the best one-day opener around. But the way he simply fit into the role of Test opener was something that helped the Virat Kohli-led team bowl South Africa out twice. In spite of rain taking away almost two full sessions, Rohit played in one-day style after he was settled to make sure India made up for the lost time and reach the target they had set for themselves.

"There is always anticipation on how would you perform as an opener in Test cricket, as he has been the world's best opener in ODI cricket for a long time. Despite missing close to two sessions because of rain, his pace in the batting gave us so much of time to bowl them out twice," the skipper further added.

Virat also praised Shami and Umesh for performing the way they did on pitches that may not suit fast bowlers.

"If you look at these two guys, their strike-rate is probably the best in Indian conditions in history. So it tells you that these guys hit the stumps and the pads more. It's a great sign of intent the bowlers are running with. The fitness levels have gone up," Kohli said.

Kohli believes that the secret to success is the positive atmosphere that one needs to maintain in the team. Kohli does not believe in numbers. He knows that if you contribute to the team, the numbers will automatically rise. 

"At the end of your career, you can reflect and say these are my numbers. But if you are part of the champion team, you will have those memories forever. A team that wins a lot leaves you with friendships and relationships that will last forever," he concluded.