Men's ODI WC: Shastri, Kaif praise Rohit Sharma's captaincy

Former Team India coach Ravi Shastri and Mohammad Kaif lavished praise on Rohit Sharma's captaincy after the hosts stunned England in Lucknow for their sixth wicket on Sunday at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

Put into setting up a total for the first time in the competition, India could only make 229/9 on a tricky two-paced pitch. Captain Rohit Sharma top-scored for India with 87 from 101 balls and stood tall even as others fell around him in a bid to go big.

Rohit held the innings together with a gritty knock laced with ten fours and three sixes on a tough pitch while adding 91 runs for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul. Suryakumar Yadav made a crucial 49 in the back end for India to go above 200, which was initially deemed as a below-par total.

Later in the day, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, blew England away with a fantastic show of accuracy to skittle the listless defending champions for 129 in 34.5 overs.

Regarding Rohit’s captaincy, Ravi Shastri said, "In this tournament, Rohit Sharma appeared to be in his element; he has been calm and composed. Even today, when we consider the bowling changes, where the bowlers aren't given long spells, Rohit Sharma changes the spells without any fear. He utilized Mohammad Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah so that the batsmen did not settle into a rhythm. He keeps the batsmen guessing about what's next."

Kaif later added, "Even though Rohit Sharma lost the toss and had to bat first, he did a commendable job. When it came to bowling, he did an excellent job using Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Shami. It is significant to know when to use which bowlers and to make these changes"