The Rohit Sharma led Indian cricket team registered a hard-fought 4-wicket win against the New Zealand cricket team on Sunday (October 22) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. India defeated New Zealand for the first time after 20 years in an ICC event.
All thanks to this remarkable win the Indian side continued their brilliant run in the ICC World Cup 2023 and made it 5 out of 5.
Rohit Showered Praise On Shami
![[World Cup 2023] Rohit Sharma Reserved High Praise For Virat Kohli After His 95-Run Knock Against The Kiwis](https://thecricketlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Rohit-Sharma-VK-2.webp)
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his happiness but he also claimed that the team doesn’t want to get overexcited after winning 5 matches on the trot. He said:
“Good start to the tournament. Job is half done. Important to stay balanced. Not to think too far ahead. Important to stay in the present.”
Rohit Sharma hailed the brilliant performance of Mohammad Shami, who was included in the playing XI as a replacement, after warming the bench for a few games. Talking about him, Rohit said that Shami grabbed the opportunity with both hands and bagged a 5-wicket haul. He said:
“Shami took the opportunity with both hands. He has experience in these conditions and is a class bowler. At one stage, we were looking at 300 plus. Credit to our bowlers at the back end. I am enjoying my batting. Both are different personalities but we (Him and Gill) complement each other. Happy that we won. “
Rohit Sharma Hailed Virat Kohli For His Powerful Knock
Furthermore, Rohit was asked about the powerful knock of Virat Kohli responding to which the Indian captain said that he didn’t have enough words to describe Kohli’s performance.
Kohli walked into bat when India lost its first wicket in the form of Rohit in the 12th over and took the game by storm. Virat couldn’t complete the chase for India but riding on his mature knock helped India to reach a victory target of 274 runs with two overs to spare to maintain their unbeaten run in the ongoing marquee tournament.
Kohli showcased why he is hailed as the chase-master as he slammed magnificent 95 runs off 104 balls, with 8 fours and 2 sixes.
Talking about Kohli’s performance, Rohit Sharma said: “Nothing much to say. He (Kohli) has done this for us so many years. He backed himself to do the job. Kohli and Jadeja pulled us back when we lost a few wickets in the middle.”
Rohit also talked about the fielding performance of the Indian players, who have been excellent on the field. However, that wasn’t the case in their fifth match as the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja dropped easy catches. Talking about this Rohit Sharma said:
“The fielding is something we pride ourselves on. Today the fielding wasn’t clinical. Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best fielders in the world. These things happen. We know that fielding is something that will decide a lot of things going forward. We love traveling and playing in different parts of the game.”