IND vs BAN | Selectors will have big headache if youngsters keep up their performance, states Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma reckons that skipper Virat Kohli and the national selectors will have a big headache if the youngsters continue to perform like they did in the comeback series-win against Bangladesh. India snatched a 30-run victory in the decider on Sunday courtesy a record spell from Deepak Chahar.
We are still nearly a year away from the seventh edition of the ICC World T20, this time in Australia, and rightly so, the Men in Blue are mixing up the squad to give opportunities to as many youngsters as possible to prove their worth and earn a place in the eventual squad for the showdown. But with nearly every youngster churning out one good performance after another, the ones that make the final call will have their plates full.
“Until we get close to the World Cup, we got to find the right balance. There are a few guys missing, but they'll come back. Keeping everything in mind, we have a few games in mind before we get into that flight to Australia. If we keep performing like we did today, it's going to be a big headache for Virat and the selectors,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.
Asked to bat first, India lost their stand-in skipper Rohit early on and struggled to get going. Shikhar Dhawan failed to convert a good start, but young Shreyas Iyer (62 off 33 balls) paired up with KL Rahul (52 off 35 balls) and the duo — along with Manish Pandey’s late flourish — setup a more-than-par total of 174.
Although India, through Chahar, struck twice within the third over, Mohammad Naim (81 off 48 balls) and Mohammad Mithun (27) looked like taking the game away with ease, before the bowlers stepped up — Chahar with a six-fer and Shivam Dube with three for 3- — and won India the game and the series.
“It was the bowlers who won us the game. I know how tough it was in the middle considering the dew factor. At one stage it looked easy for them when they needed 70-odd of 8 overs; things were looking tough for us,” Rohit said.
“It was a great comeback from us. The boys took responsibility and raised their hands up. I just reminded them this (pointing towards the badge on the jersey) is what we are playing for. I can understand when wickets are not falling, it's hard to pick ourselves up. I just had to remind what team they're playing for, credit to the bowlers. Also to the batsmen - the way Rahul and Iyer played, that was magnificent. That is what we want from the team - individuals taking responsibility,” Rohit added.