Ravi Shastri opens up on Rohit Sharma & 'Ferrari-like' Indian batting

An exultant India coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday said Rohit Sharma has shown himself to be of different class in newly-acquired role of a Test opener, acclimatising exceptionally well to challenges posed by position.

India wrapped a 3-0 whitewash of South Africa by winning third and final Test by an innings and 202 runs on morning of day four in Ranchi. 

"Ajinkya Rahane was always re in middle order, he only needed to rediscover, which he did himself. Rohit is different class. As an opener he needed to have a different mindset, he acclimatised. It was a difficult pitch to start with but usne jhela," Shastri told official broadcaster 'Star Sports' at end of match. 

"He has it in him to be unfazed by difficult conditions. What he has done in this series is tremendous," he added.

Shastri lauded mindset of team, which he said, is never perturbed by conditions it encounters wher at home or abroad. 

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"Our philosophy has been bhaad mein gaya pitch (to hell with pitch). We need to take 20 wickets and it doesn't matter if it's Mumbai, Auckland, Melbourne, anywhere. Once we have taken those 20 wickets, our batting, once it gets going is like smooth-running Ferrari," he quipped. 

"When you have five bowlers who can take 20 wickets, bas that's what matters," he added. 

India dominated from start to finish in series with ir top batsmen getting runs in abundance and bowlers striking at will against a South African team severely short on experience and confidence.  

Shastri singled out left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who made his debut at 30 in final Test here and took four wickets. 

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"Extremely impressed. Yesterday when he got his first wicket, I was saying If Bishan Singh Bedi was watching, he would've said 'cheers young man'. It was a spinner's delight. To watch it from outside was classical," he said. 

"(He has) 420 plus wickets (in domestic cricket), guy has put in yards, about time he gets distance. Glad he finished off game. In front of his home crowd...what was remarkable was way he started." "re was nerves, first three overs were maidens. Every ball was on spot. That's because of his experience," he added. 

Despite individual brilliance that shone through, Shastri said triumph was, in end, a team effort.

"It's a team effort. A captain who leads from front. You have opening batsmen who got double hundreds. Middle-order batsmen got hundreds. rmally in India, you have two players who hog limelight. Here we've had six or seven payers. This is going well, enjoy," he said.

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