By IANS,
Mirpur (Dhaka) : Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Sunday praised his batsmen for a stellar performance but reserved special praise for the talented Rohit Sharma, who he thinks can become a good finisher.
India chased down a target of 330 set by Pakistan in the fifth ODI of the Asia Cup. Virat Kohli (183) was the star of the show recording his third ODI century in the last four matches.
Kohli’s two hundred run stand, first with Sachin Tendulkar (133) and then with Rohit (172) were crucial for the win. Tendulkar scored 52 while Rohit hit an impressive 68.
“They (Pakistan) batted brilliantly, we used eight bowlers. Sachin and Virat batted brilliantly, Rohit can be a good finisher. Kohli was brilliant. Once you cross 300 it’s difficult irrespective of how flat the pitch is, we did it in Hobart,” Dhoni said in the post-match conference.
For the second match running Indian bowlers were plundered for runs. Though Dhoni said that the Indian bowlers did not lack talent but needed to learn how to handle pressure.
“We’ve got the talent in the bowling department also. It’s about how you handle pressure, they will learn from games like these,” he said.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq too praised Kohli and said that his innings was the best he had seen in his career.
“Excellent innings by Kohli. Credit goes to their batsmen, it’s easy out there under lights, 329 is still a good score. The best innings (Kohli) I have ever seen,” said Misbah.
A modest Kohli praised Rohit and said that he would rate this innings alongside the match when he scored 133 as India chased down Sri Lanka’s target of 321 in 36.4 overs.
“I still can’t believe what happened out there honestly. I’m really satisfied. We were waiting for these 3-4 overs of 15-20 runs. I’m a fan of Rohit Sharma, love watching him bat. I would rate this knock and Hobart equally. To be able to chase 330 against this bowling is satisfying,” said Kohli.