Rohit's century against Proteas was his best-ever innings, says Kohli
What's the story
India's senior cricketer Rohit Sharma got off to a perfect start in the ICC World Cup 2019 on Wednesday.
He smashed a sublime unbeaten century to help Men In Blue beat South Africa in match number nine of the 2019 World Cup.
In the same light, skipper Virat Kohli has termed Sharma's ton as his best ever innings to date.
Here's more.
Application
Rohit applied himself well against the Proteas
Credit goes to Rohit for applying himself well against a world-class Proteas bowling attack.
This was India's first match in the World Cup and the senior batsman showed his calmness throughout.
He withered the early onslaught from Kagiso Rabada, who got Shikhar Dhawan (8) cheaply.
Rohit took his time and gained authority once he felt settled at the crease.
This was a brilliant knock.
Maturity
Rohit showed his willingness to stay till the end
Rohit's 100 came off 128 balls on Wednesday and it was the slowest of his 23 centuries in ODIs.
This showed his willingness to be present in the middle and stay till the very end.
Rohit has this special attribute of scoring big tons but this 122-run show was a special effort.
He stitched three crucial partnerships along the way and guided India home.
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Kohli rates Rohit's innings as the best he has witnessed
"This is by far his best ODI innings because of the kind of pressure the first game brings from a World Cup point of view. When you go in and a few balls bounce like that, it's not easy to gather yourself," said Kohli.
Situation
Rohit played as per the situation
Rohit understood the situation well and attacked the spinners. That allowed the side to plan the chase well.
He also negotiated the pacers as per the merit.
The 85-run stand with KL Rahul set the base for India.
Rohit also stitched another 74-run partnership with MS Dhoni.
The manner in which Rohit reacted to the situation, caught Kohli's eye.
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He played the perfect innings: Kohli on Rohit
"He played the perfect innings for that kind of a situation on that kind of a wicket against a bowling attack that was threatening to pick up wickets at any stage. So, yeah, in my opinion, by far his best knock," Kohli added.
Contribution
World Cup: Rohit's contribution will be immense for India
Rohit, who has smashed three double hundreds in ODI cricket, showed the other side of his game.
The manner in which he put value on his wicket was a pleasing sight.
He now has the third highest centuries for India in ODIs.
The 32-year-old has scored 8,132 runs in 207 ODIs at an average of 48.11.
His contribution will be immense going forward.