India’s off-spinner all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Monday said that it is indeed a tough task to stop the duo of skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma when they are at their very best.
On Sunday, Kohli and Rohit showed why they were ranked first and second respectively in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen after they made a mockery of a stiff 323-run chase, chasing it down with 7.5 overs left.
“If they are set, it’s tough to get them out. They can hit groundstrokes and in the air with equal ease. It becomes tough against such batters,” Jadeja, as quoted by PTI, said after this thumping win.
The duo shared a mammoth 246-run stand after Shikhar Dhawan’s poor dismissal and it is what changed the game as this was also India’s first partnership of 200 or more runs against the West Indies.
He himself took two wickets for 66 runs as the West Indies were going all guns blazing in their efforts which ended in a healthy 322-run total.
Also Read: India vs West Indies: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma make mockery of stiff 323-run chase
He also said that conditions at the Barsapara Stadium were ideal for batting.
“Wicket was also very good to bat on. It was not spinning or swinging much. The ball was coming nicely to bat. It was an ideal condition for the batsmen,” he said.
“After they scored 320-plus, we did not know how it will behave in the second half. But after the start, we got following (Shikhar) Dhawan’s wicket we thought we could chase it down. Overall it stayed true throughout the game,” Jadeja further added.
The Saurashtra cricketer also shed light on why India went into the game with an extra pacer in place of opting for an attack with three spinners in it.
“We didn’t know how the wicket would behave, this being the first ODI here. We thought three seamers will help to contain the batsmen in the powerplay,” Jadeja revealed.