IND vs ENG 2024: Wanted our bowlers to step up and they did that – Rohit Sharma after convincing win at Vizag

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was delighted after his team registered a convincing win of 106 runs in the second Test match against England at Vizag to level the five-match series 1-1. India needed nine more wickets on the fourth day’s play and the bowlers were able to deliver the goods.

Axar Patel plumbed Rehan Ahmed after the nightwatchman smashed some fearless boundaries. India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin then had Ollie Pope caught at first slip with Rohit Sharma taking a sharp catch. Joe Root came out to bat with an aggressive approach but his innings was cut short by Ashwin.

Crawley was dismissed LBW by Kuldeep Yadav whereas Bumrah plumbed Jonny Bairstow at the stroke of lunch. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin bagged three wickets apiece in the second innings whereas Axar Patel, Mukesh Kumar, and Kuldeep Yadav also bagged one wicket each.

Indian bowlers had conceded 420 runs in the second innings at Hyderabad but they were able to turn the tables at Vizag, not allowing England to go past the 300-run mark in either innings.

Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation, “When you win a game like that, you have to look at the overall performance as well. We were good with the bat. You know winning a Test in these conditions is not easy. Wanted our bowlers to step up and they did that.”

Rohit also showered praise on Jasprit Bumrah and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Bumrah bagged a total of nine wickets whereas Jaiswal scored a fine double century as he scored 209 runs in the first essay.

Rohit added, “Bumrah is a champion player for us. Jaiswal looks like a good player, and understands his game really well. Long way to go for him, has got a lot to offer for our team. Hope he stays humble.”

But the Indian skipper pointed out that the batters need to convert their starts and get a big score for the team.

Rohit concluded, “If I have to point anything, lot of the batters got starts but couldn’t get big score. But I understand they’re young and new to the game. Important for us to give them confidence. Very proud of such a young squad to come up against a team like that. Lot of the guys are quite young in terms of playing this form of the game. It’ll take some time to be absolutely spot on. Want them to play freely without any pressure.”

The third Test match between India and England will be played at Rajkot from 15th February onwards.