India's skipper Rohit Sharma is in awe of Prasidh Krishna who was the cynosure of all eyes with his match winning performance in his side's 44-run comprehensive win over West Indies in the second ODI match on Wednesday (February 9). While eulogizing Prasidh, Rohit said he has never seen a spell like that in India for a long time now.
Rohit's praise came after India gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Caribbeans. Prasidh's magnificent 4/12 guided India defend 237 in the second ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
"Obviously winning the series is a good feeling. There were some challenges. The partnership between Rahul and Surya had a lot of maturity. We got to a respectable total in the end. We knew we could fight it out. The entire unit came out and bowled superbly. It is important for these guys to bat under pressure and that is how you will judge their character," Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
"We don't mind losing a few games trying out a few things. Because it is important to look at the long-term goals. We will see what works out well for the team combination. I was a little surprised to see no dew. I have never seen a spell like that in India for a long time now. Prasidh bowled with a lot of pace and kept it going. The others complemented him," he added.
Rohit also complimented Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul for their instrumental contribution that bolstered India's batting unit when it needed the most. Suryakumar amassed a sedate 64 off 83 and Rahul scored an impressive 49 off 48 but the hosts kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Subsequently West Indies managed to wrap Indian innings to 237/9 in the allotted fifty overs. For the West Indies, Alzarri Joseph and Odean Smith scalped two wickets each.
"Surya had to take his time and understand what the team wants from him. KL also batted superbly as he is consistently up and down in the order. I have been asked to try something different. We wanted to try it one game. Shikhar should be back for the next game," said Rohit.
"When you have five bowlers and Deepak being sixth, you always need to keep rotating the bowlers," he further added.
India have already won the three match ODI series with one match to spare but will look to settle with no less than a white wash going forward in the third and the last ODI against West Indies which will be played on Friday (February 11).
