New Delhi: Rohit Sharma said he enjoyed putting together a match-winning partnership with Virat Kohli after a long time in the third ODI against Australia.
Rohit’s unbeaten century, his 33rd ODI ton and Kohli’s 74 not out helped India win the third and final match by nine wickets in Sydney on Saturday, helping them avoid a whitewash in a 2-1 series defeat.
“I enjoy playing in Australia, today also…to get a big one and get the team through. When we started to bat, obviously, it was a bit of a challenge with two new balls, the pitch was slightly misbehaving at the start and we knew that once the shine of the ball is off, it will get a bit easier,” Rohit told BCCI’s website.
“Fantastic partnership (with Kohli) after a long long time. I think we did not have a 100-run partnership for a long time. It was good to get that partnership from a team’s perspective, looking at how we were placed at one point.
In chase of 236 runs, India lost skipper Shubman Gill cheaply, but Rohit and Kohli were at their vintage best and reduced the chase to a simple task.
“(Shubman) Gill got out a bit early, and we knew with (injured) Shreyas Iyer not being there, there was an added responsibility on batters. We enjoyed every moment we spent out there, there was a lot of chatter between the two of us,” he said.
“We have played so much cricket together. We understand each other really well, so much experience between the two of us and we used it pretty well,” he reminisced.
‘Positives’
Defeats in Perth and Adelaide meant India had already surrendered the series by the team they came to Sydney, but despite the loss Rohit said India had positive aspects to look forward, including a warm reception from the Australian crowd in his last tour Down Under.
“A lot of positives from the series, especially Harshit Rana who has been playing white-ball cricket in Australia for the first time, and the way he bowled in both the games (Sydney and Adelaide), it was a fantastic effort from him,” the 38-year-old added.
“Very, very grateful, firstly, to have people standing beside you. Whenever we have played, people have come out and supported not just the two of us, but the entire team.
“In Australia, the crowd never disappoints. They come out in large numbers to watch cricket because two good teams playing, they want to watch quality cricket.
“Unfortunately, we could not cross the line with the series, but we enjoyed coming here. Really, really grateful to the crowd for their support throughout Australia. I hope they continue to do that,” he said.