India captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for his team for defeating Australia in the third and final T20I in Hyderabad on Sunday. It was a do-or-die game for both teams but it was the Men in Blue who crossed the finish line first.
India lost both openers early in the chase of 186 after which the onus was successfully taken by Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. They struck brilliant fifties, stitching a 104-run partnership for the third wicket. This was Kohli’s second hundred-run partnership at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium after figuring in a 102-run stand with KL Rahul against West Indies in 2019.
Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with a 36-ball 69 and became the highest scorer in T20 this year with 682 runs in 20 innings. He went ahead of DS Airee of Nepal who has 626 runs from 17 innings.
Following the victory, Rohit highlighted the contributions made by each and every individual in the game.
“It’s a special place. We have had great memories playing for India and when I played for Deccan Chargers as well. The biggest positive was different individuals stepping up and delivering. You feel good about it as a management. The margin of error in T20s is small. We took our chances, we were brave as well. Sometimes it doesn’t come off. There are areas to improve as well,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
The Indian skipper also spoke about the return of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel after injury lay-offs. Both speedsters were not in their best of forms in this series but Rohit hoped that they will get back to their rhythms soon.
“Not easy coming back after a break against a tough team. They (Bumrah and Harshal) will take some time. Hopefully, they can get back into their groove in the next series,” Rohit concluded.
