New York, Jun 13 (IANS): India skipper Rohit Sharma was full of praise for batter Suryakumar Yadav, whose unbeaten 49-ball 50 helped India clinch a nervy seven-wicket win over tournament co-hosts USA to seal a Super 8 berth of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Rohit said that Surya has shown his versatility, which is expected from experienced players and also adapted his batting to the situation perfectly.
India slipped to 10/2 chasing 111, with star openers Virat Kohli (0) and Rohit Sharma (3) both dismissed early. Suryakumar played the starring role with a match-winning half-century, having been given a let-off when dropped by Saurabh Netravalkar.
Rishabh Pant’s 18 from 20 balls helped lay the foundation, with Shivam Dube (unbeaten 31) playing a crucial role in aiding Suryakumar to secure the win as the duo stitched an unbeaten 67-run partnership off 65 balls.
"He showed that he has got a different game as well and that is what you expect from experienced players - to come out and bat differently if the situation demands and that is what Surya Kumar Yadav did. That partnership with Shivan Dube was very important for us and in the end, to take us home was a great effort," said Rohit after the win.
"We knew it was going to be a tough task scoring those many runs on the board. But credit to us at the end that we held our nerves, and got that partnership as well. Yes, we lost some wickets upfront but you know credit to Surya Kumar Yadav and Shivam Dube to show the maturity and take the game till the end," he added.
Earlier, Rohit also called upon Dube for an over in which he conceded 11 runs. When asked about Dube as an all-rounder, the skipper said, "I think, you know, that is something we want. We want options with us and as and when we feel like we can use them, we should be able to use them. And today I thought, you know, we could use them. The pitch had something in it. But, again all I want is to have options moving forward."
Rohit also lauded his bowlers, particularly Arshdeep Singh, , who led the way with career-best T20I figures of 4/9 in four overs, striking twice in his first over to restrict the hosts to 110/8.
"We knew bowlers had to take the lead. We knew run-scoring is difficult on this pitch. Again, all our bowlers did the job, particularly Arshdeep, the way he started off was magnificent. Playing cricket here wasn't easy. It could've been anyone's game," he said.
Talking about winning three out of three matches and making it to the Super 8, the opener said, "I think it is a big relief. Playing cricket here wasn't easy, it could have been anyone's game. All the 3 games that we played, you have to really stick to stick to the end and take the game as deep as possible. And luckily for us, we managed to pull through in all 3 games and we can take a lot of confidence from victory like this."
Rohit also praised the performance of USA's Indian-origin players. Saurabh Netravalkar, a left-arm seamer, who was a part of the domestic set-up in various age groups while left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, who was a member of India U19 side winning the 2012 World Cup and attended the same school as Rohit in Mumbai.
"We played cricket together. I'm very happy to see them and their progress in cricket as well. Last year we saw them play in Major Cricket League as well. So they are going from strength to strength and I can hope nothing but the best for them. They are hardworking guys. But yeah, they are making their mark here in US," Rohit concluded.
India next faces Canada in their final Group A match on June 15 at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida.
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