After getting what they wanted, Indian National Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma said they are happy with the way things went in the pink ball tour match against Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI.
Rohit Sharma-led India took on Australia’s Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra. Originally it was a 2 day pink ball game but the first day was washed out. So it became a one-day match.
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Rohit Sharma failed
India won the toss and finished first in the match. They made this decision because they wanted to play against the pink ball at night.
The bowlers did well and bowled out Australia’s PM XI for 240 in a 46 over contest. Then KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened for India once again, signaling that this is the team’s new opening pair in Test cricket.
Notably, Rahul opened against Jaiswal in the Perth Test as Rohit skipped the match due to the birth of his second child. The duo of Rahul-Jaiswal did a great job against the Aussies and looking at it, the Indian skipper seems to have sacrificed the opening spot.
Returning to the tour match, Rahul (27) and Jaiswal (45) batted well and along with the returning Shubman Gill (50) took full advantage of the match.
But Rohit failed to do so as he failed. He was out for 11-ball 3 while chasing the ball at 5th stump. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy (42), Washington Sundar (42) and Ravindra Jadeja (27) batted well to lead India to a 6-wicket win.
It was fantastic – Rohit Sharma
Speaking to the host after winning the trophy, Rohit Sharma said that they were unlucky as the first day went down, but they made good use of the limited time they got in the middle.
“It was fantastic. We got what we wanted as a group. We were a bit unlucky not to get it the whole game. Whatever time we had, we tried to make the most of it and took (what) we had in front of us,” he said.
Rohit Sharma later expressed that he was happy to have a home support in Canberra as there were a lot of Indian fans in the stadium. He said:
“Absolutely fantastic (to see the crowd). We love coming to Australia and we love to see them come out and support us. There’s never been a time when they’ve come here and not come and support us.”
Some great players have represented this team and it’s been a great few days – Jack Edwards
Prime Minister’s XI captain Jack Edwards also praised his players for doing well in the match and giving India a tough fight. He said:
“He played exceptional. Good for Scotty, he played a few times. It’s a great honor. Some great players have represented this team and it’s been a great, few days for the team.”
Notably, teenage sensation Sam Konstas emerged as the best performer for the Aussies as he blasted a 97-ball 107 and won the Man of the Match award. Speaking after the win, he said, “It was a good experience. Thank you to the fans for coming.”
