Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan showered praise on the Indian captain Rohit Sharma and said that fans shouldn’t worry about his form. Pathan’s statements came after the India captain played a crucial knock of half-century against New Zealand on Saturday in the second ODI match.
After the Indian bowlers stole the show with their amazing performance, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill lit up Raipur with their batting performance. After starting slowly, the Indian captain started playing shots at will and played a knock of 50-ball 51. Gill remained unbeaten on 40 as team India won the match by eight wickets and sealed the series.
Meanwhile, speaking to Star Sports, Irfan Pathan talked about Rohit’s knock after Mohammed Shami-inspired India defeated New Zealand in the low-scoring encounter to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Pathan said people shouldn’t worry about Rohit Sharma’s form and said that his half-century against New Zealand came at the right time.
Pathan also pointed out that the Indian captain made only one mistake in the recently concluded 2nd ODI between New Zealand and Team India. The former Indian all-rounder also accepted that the current Indian captain looked in control while batting against the Kiwis. He said:
“I am repeatedly saying that you shouldn’t worry too much about Rohit Sharma’s form at all. This was his first half-century while chasing against New Zealand and it came at the right time. He made only one mistake when the ball hit his pads, there was an lbw appeal, they wanted to take the DRS but didn’t take it. But other than that, he looked in complete control, we saw amazing shots, on the up on the off side and the leg side,” Pathan told Star Sports.
He added: “The conditions were not easy, they were slightly difficult. The ball was moving a little under the lights. The scoreboard pressure was not there but he had to go close to a half-century. That milestone has come and if he gets an opportunity going forward, he will make the milestone even bigger because he is batting extremely well. The problem is that when you are chasing a low score, you try to hit from the first ball. That was not the case. He respected the conditions and then played his favorite shots once he got set,“
