Gill happy with the way Rohit Sharma batted despite Adelaide loss

Dubai: Indian skipper Shubman Gill praised star opener Rohit Sharma’s fighting knock despite India’s series loss to Australia.

In the second ODI at Adelaide, Rohit’s 97-ball 73 and Shreyas Iyer’s composed 61 helped India post a competitive 264/9 in 50 overs, offering fans some relief after early dismissals of Gill (9) and Virat Kohli (0). In reply, Australia chased down the target with two wickets in hand, thanks to solid contributions from Matt Short (74 off 78, 4x4, 2x6), Cooper Connolly (61* off 53, 5x4, 1x6), and a brisk cameo by Mitchell Owen (36 off 23, 2x4, 3x6).

Gill said the Rohit handled the tough spells from Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc exceptionally well before narrowly missing out on a big score.

“The initial phase was very challenging, and I’m very pleased with the way he fought through it. It’s never easy coming back after a break and facing that kind of bowling. He missed out on what could’ve been a really big knock,” Gill said.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Gill admitted that dropped catches proved costly and that India had just about enough runs to defend.

“We had just enough runs on the board. It’s never easy to defend when you drop a couple of chances. In the first game, the toss played a bigger role because of the rain, but today both teams played almost the full 50 overs. The wicket did a bit early on but settled nicely after 15—20 overs,” Gill said.

Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh was delighted with the series win and the crowd atmosphere for the game. “Been awesome. It’s rare to play in front of big crowds in ODI cricket. Thrilled to have won the series. Josh took the best none-for I’ve ever seen. We were outstanding with the bat too.”

He also praised fifties coming from the bats of Short and Connolly. “It was awesome batting (from the youngsters), the future is bright for Australian cricket. We’ll certainly have a beer and enjoy ourselves in the changing room, but small turnaround between this game and next. India are a great team, so we’ll want to enjoy this win,” said Marsh.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who was named Player of the Match for his four-wicket haul, echoed Marsh’s sentiments and acknowledged the quality of the opposition. “Nice to beat India. It’s always been a good battle against them, particularly in one-day cricket. Even in India, we’ve always tested them and they’ve come here and tested us at times as well. Two teams that have adapted to the conditions really well. They’re the best team in the world. They have been for a little while now. So, it’s great to test ourselves against them.”

He also credited the pacers for setting the tone and making his life easier in the later half of the innings. “Those guys (pacers) have been owning powerplay for a long time. So, I have been very grateful and lucky. And then you’ve got the guys coming in, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, doing their thing through the middle. It makes my job a lot easier through the middle.”

With inputs from Agencies