Published 22:10 IST, January 29th 2020
Ravi Shastri brings back classic 'Shastri-ism' as India beat New Zealand in a "Super Game"
Head coach Ravi Shastri heaped praise on Virat Kohli and his troops after India recorded a scintillating Super Over win against New Zealand in Hamilton.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Rohit Sharma smacked two sixes off the final two deliveries of a Super Over to give India victory in the third Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday and win the series with two games to spare. Head coach Ravi Shastri heaped praises on Virat Kohli and his men after their heroic performance.
Shastri commended team India's never-say-die attitude on Twitter and wrote, "Classic example of no game is over till it's over. Super game #SuperOver #NZvIND"
'That's how we do it!'
Captain Kohli too uploaded a message on social media which read, "That's how we do it!"
Mohammad Shami took two wickets in the 20th over of the Kiwi chase removing both Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to force the game into a Super Over. In the super over, the hosts batted first and Kane Williamson, just as he had done in the actual match, smashed Jasprit Bumrah as he and Martin Guptill scored 17 runs off six balls. Rohit Sharma survived a run-out on the very first delivery of India’s run-chase when Tim Siefert failed to collect the ball. And, the 'Hitman' ensured that he made the Kiwis pay for it as he hit Tim Southee for back-to-back sixes to seal the game for India.
'I didn't know what to expect'
“Never done that before (batting in Super Over). I didn’t know what to expect, whether to go from the first ball or wait for a while. I just wanted to stay still and then try my best (on the last two sixes). Good performance with the bat, disappointed at having thrown my wicket away though. I hadn’t got runs in the first two games, wanted to do well today. We knew we would win the series today if we win the match - in important games, the main players need to step up,” said Rohit, who was adjudged man of the match.
And, with this victory, Virat Kohli has now become the first Indian captain to win a Twenty20 International series on New Zealand soil. The Men in Blue had lost each of their previous T20I series in New Zealand. While the MS Dhoni-led unit lost 0-2 in 2009, Rohit Sharma’s side lost by 1-2 last year. Kohli, in contrast, is yet to lose a game as captain on New Zealand soil.
Updated 22:10 IST, January 29th 2020