Indian skipper Rohit Sharma lauded his bowlers after a 100-run win over England, terming the unit as the 2023 ICC World Cup’s best bowling unit. Having only 230 runs to defend a star-studded batting line-up of the defending world champions, the Indian bowlers bowled England out for a meek total of 129 runs in Lucknow’s BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday, 29 October.
Jos Buttler’s side got off to a good start, but Jasprit Bumrah turned the tides in the fifth over by dismissing Dawid Malan and Joe Root in consecutive deliveries.
It was then Mohammed Shami’s turn to outfox the Englishmen, as he bowled Ben Stokes for a duck, before sending Jonny Bairstow back. Six overs later, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a remarkable delivery to completely bamboozle the opposition’s skipper, Buttler.
Overall, Shami scalped four wickets by conceding 22 runs, while Bumrah recorded figures of 6.5-1-32-3. Barring the pair and Kuldeep, Ravindra Jadeja was also among wickets, dismissing Chris Woakes.
ICC World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma lauded India's bowling attack.
(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)
On being asked about whether his team’s bowling attack is the best in the competition, Rohit Sharma said after the match “I think so.”
“We have a good balance. There are a couple of good spinners, and the seamers have a lot of experience playing in these conditions. There's a fair bit of options and experience as well. It's very important that the batters put runs on the board, give them something to work with and then rely on them to do the magic,” he further explained.
Experienced Players Stood Up: Rohit Sharma
Despite the pacers’ excellent performances, Sharma won the Player of the Match award for rescuing his team out of a precarious position, with his 87-run knock.
Talking about the retaliation from Indian batters, the captain said “There was a lot of character in the squad. When the times were tough, all our experienced players stood up at the right time and got the game for us. “
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