(BCCI Credit)
Ricky Ponting praised Rohit Sharma’s leadership, commending his adept management of key bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya during the match against Pakistan.
Ricky Ponting, the renowned former Australian captain, expressed deep admiration for Rohit Sharma’s captaincy performance in the match against Pakistan. Despite defending a modest 120-run target on a challenging pitch, Rohit showcased remarkable composure and strategic acumen. Despite Pakistan’s solid start and early control of the game, Rohit remained composed, sticking to his plans and effectively marshaling his bowlers without succumbing to panic.
Rohit Sharma’s previous experience of leading Hardik and Bumrah in the IPL provided him with a significant edge in understanding how to utilize them effectively in crucial moments. This advantage became evident as Hardik, who faced challenges both as a player and captain in the recent IPL season, rediscovered his form while playing under Rohit’s leadership for the Indian national team. Under Rohit’s guidance, Hardik has regained his stride, demonstrating notable improvement by claiming three wickets across two matches for the Indian team.
Hardik has consistently proven to be a valuable asset for Rohit, delivering strong performances under his leadership for both the Mumbai Indians and the Indian national team. The credit for Hardik’s success largely goes to Rohit, who has effectively managed him and consistently displayed confidence in him during high-pressure situations.
“Rohit Sharma is a very experienced captain, isn’t he? And I just saw him then and said, mate, your captaincy today was outstanding. I don’t think he could have done much more. You think about a lot of the bowlers that he’s got in his team,” Ponting to ICC.
Although Rohit didn’t excel with the bat today, his leadership prowess on the field was truly remarkable. Even when the tide seemed against India, he maintained his composure, and his bowlers executed their plans flawlessly. Leading the pace attack, Jasprit Bumrah delivered an outstanding spell, conceding just 14 runs and taking three crucial wickets, which greatly restricted Pakistan’s batting in their pursuit of a modest total. Supporting him, Hardik and Arshdeep Singh each claimed two wickets, while Axar Patel chipped in with one. Mohammed Siraj also impressed with an economical spell, giving away only 19 runs in his quota of four overs.
The Australian cricket legend also praised the bowlers for effectively implementing the strategy laid out by the captain, particularly highlighting Rohit’s adept management of Hardik’s overs. Under Rohit’s guidance, Hardik bowled his full quota of four overs and made significant contributions by dismissing key players like Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan, thus tilting the momentum in India’s favor. An endearing moment ensued between the two Mumbai Indians teammates after the dismissal of Shadab, as Rohit lifted Hardik in the air in celebration of the crucial breakthrough.
“He’s actually had those bowlers in the IPL as well, not only for India. So he understands them, knows when he can use them, but it’s one thing for the captain to set a plan, the bowlers are going to go ahead and execute it and Hardik was outstanding,” Ponting told ICC.
As the Pakistani batting lineup struggled under pressure, the Indian bowlers showcased a unified performance, limiting them to 113/7 in their 20 overs chase of India’s 119 on a challenging pitch. Ponting also lauded the Indian spinners’ contributions, emphasizing their effectiveness on a surface typically more favorable to seamers. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja combined to bowl eight overs, conceding just 20 runs collectively. Axar’s pivotal moment came with the dismissal of Usman Khan, trapping him leg-before-wicket with his precise bowling.
“I thought he did a really good job with the ball as well, and then you break it down and this has been a wicket that the seamers have liked, but their spinner bowled four overs for 20 as well and Patel picked up a big wicket. Yeah, the wicket was definitely different in the second innings. I mean, you can see Pakistan got the ball to hold up through natural variation, and you know, it was just a little bit tacky, but when the sun came out, the wicket dried out quite quickly and then you have to, you have to adapt and adjust on the run. I thought he did that really well,” Ponting added.
