On Sunday, Rohit smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 56 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and five sixes to steer India home against England.
India
Vs England 3rd T20 : Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya
credited Rohit
Sharma for the team's comprehensive win in the series-clinching
third and final T20 International against England, saying it was a
special innings from the elegant batsman after two ordinary outings.
Rohit
struck his third T20I hundred as India chased down a 199-run target
with seven wickets in hand on Sunday to pocket the three-match series
2-1.
"Rohit
played amazingly well. He was outstanding and played a fantastic
hand. He won the game single-handedly for us. We expect that from
him. I haven't seen anyone hit the ball as hard as Rohit,"
Pandya told reporters at the post-match press conference.
"Not
having two good games and then coming back to play such an innings,
that is special. It shows the confidence players have in this team,
in themselves. It all comes down to the support staff. They have been
great," he added.
Rohit
did not have the best of outings with the bat in the first two T20s
against England, scoring 32 and 5. But he got back his mojo on Sunday
night and smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 56 balls with the help of
11 boundaries and five sixes to steer India home.
Pandya
too played a major role with both bat and ball last night. He first
returned figures of 4 for 38 and then came ahead of MS Dhoni and
Suresh Raina to hit 33 not out off just 14 balls to lend support to
Rohit in India's pursuit of 198 for 9.
The
24-year-old medium pacer, however, had a nightmare start to his
afternoon when he conceded 22 runs from his first over.
"To
be honest, I see the T20 format as a funny game. You need to back
yourself and bowl your best balls. I still remember after getting hit
for 22, I was still normal. If you come and bowl the right lengths,
and take wickets on this kind of pitch, eventually you will stop
runs," Pandya said.
"My
focus was to make sure that I bowled different balls rather than just
bowling yorkers because bowling length was the key. With the shortest
boundaries on the straight, I kind of mixed things."
Pandya
said every game teaches him a new cricketing lesson.
"I
am learning. I am always learning in the game. I've made sure that I
keep on learning from my mistakes. With every game, something or the
other I am learning, which is helping my game," he said.
"When
I was young, I have batted at number three. So for me any situation I
go in, I play according to that. It doesn't matter if I hit 13-ball
30 or 25-ball 25, depending on the situation I play accordingly."
Story
By BS
