Follow UsIndian skipper Rohit Sharma claimed that he was pleased with Ravindra Jadeja’s comeback to the T20I side, and stated that, in the months to follow, the management will frequently look to promote the southpaw up the order.
Playing his first T20I for the country since the T20 World Cup in UAE, Jadeja was sent to bat at No.4, above Sanju Samson. The 33-year-old only faced four balls, in which he managed to score three runs, but speaking post the match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that the management are keen to extract more from the bat of Jadeja, who has made huge strides on the batting front in the past three years.
“Very happy with him (Jadeja). We want more from him, that's why we sent him up the order and you would see more of that in the upcoming games. He is in good form, especially Test cricket, and we want to use that in limited overs. We will see if we can promote him up the order going forward,” Rohit said after the game.
Rohit fell six short of a fifty, but his opening partner Ishan Kishan, who had a torrid time in the series against West Indies, hit his stride and struck an explosive 89 that eventually proved to be decisive. Kishan got going in the powerplay through a hat-trick of boundaries off Chamika Karunaratne, but ensured to kick-on as he batted till the 17th over.
Rohit said that was he mighty impressed with the way Kishan constructed his innings.
“I’ve known Ishan for a long time now. I know the mindset he has. I know the ability he has as well. It was just about getting the kind of game that he had today. It was so pleasing to watch from the other end. The way he constructed the innings was so good, that is usually a challenge for him.”
India were clinical with both bat and ball, but the Men in Blue were sloppy on the field, dropping multiple sitters. Asalanka and Kamil Mishara were handed lives, and while the spills did not cost the team, the drop in fielding standards is starting to become a slight concern, with the hosts also loose in the series against West Indies.
Rohit hoped for the side to do away with the bad habit of dropping catches, and asserted that he wants the Men in Blue to be one of the best fielding sides come the T20 World Cup in Australia.
“We are dropping easy catches. Our fielding coach has some work to do. Come Australia, we want to be a great fielding side.”