IND vs SL: Irfan Pathan lauds 'patient' Rohit Sharma after impressive knock on comeback

The former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan shared his thoughts on Rohit Sharma's knock after India's victory in the first ODI against Sri Lanka on January 10. Rohit smashed 83 off 67 to build a platform for a big total as India posted a 373/7 while batting first in Guwahati.

The 35-year-old opener missed the T20I series against Sri Lanka as he needed more time to recover from a thumb injury he picked in the ODI series. Rohit looked fully fit while batting and was patient with his shot selection on Tuesday. Irfan pointed out that the best part of Rohit's knock was the patience he showed.

"This is what we wanted to see when Rohit Sharma was coming back, that his fitness should be better, which we saw in the running between the wickets. But the best part was that the patient side of Rohit Sharma was seen in his batting, where he took his time. It was seamless batting from Rohit Sharma right from the start when he hit his first four straight down the ground. After that, he was waiting for the balls to come onto his stumps," Irfan Pathan said while speaking with Star Sports.

Rohit played to his strengths: Irfan Pathan

Rohit missed his 30th ODI hundred by 17 runs after he looked in great rhythm from the start. Despite being patient at the start, Rohit scored the runs at a strike rate of 123.88 with the help of nine fours and three sixes by the end of his knock. Irfan highlighted that Rohit played to his strength and also praised the Indian captain for using his feet against the spinners while playing big shots. 

"He played to his strengths. We saw the pull shots. We also saw him using his feet against the spinners and playing big shots straight down the ground. So he scored runs all around the park," Irfan added.

Apart from Rohit, Shubman Gill scored crucial 70 runs to give India a quick and confident start. Virat Kohli smashed 113 runs off 87 balls to build on a good start by Indian openers. India won the game by 67 runs but Dasun Shanaka's 108* off 88 balls stole the smiles from the Indian camp as Sri Lanka managed to score 306/8 in 50 overs.

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