Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has praised Rohit Sharma, who scripted a world record on Saturday during team's match against Sri Lanka in the World Cup, saying that the 32-year-old is outstandingly consistent and dangerous.
After Sharma played a knock of 103 runs, he became the only player to smash five centuries in a single edition of the premier tournament. Moreover, this was his third consecutive century in the tournament.
"Three centuries in a row, five in total in this ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, he is in incredible form. The opposition knows that you either get him out before he gets to 10, or the next pit stop is probably 100. In the last three years of his career, he has been outstandingly consistent in one-day cricket," ICC quoted Srikanth, as saying.
"I think the most important thing about him is his temperament. So many players start to panic if they don't get runs during the Powerplay, but Rohit doesn't. Even when he starts slowly, he is dangerous," added Srikkanth.
The Hitman scored a crucial century when the team was chasing a target of 265 runs, set by Sri Lanka and helped his side register a seven-wicket victory.
Apart from Sharma, it was Jasprit Bumrah's impeccable spell which helped India to restrict the opposition on a decent total. Bumrah took three wickets and gave away just 37 runs from his 10 overs.
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"From a bowling perspective, it was all about Jasprit Bumrah again. He really is the leader of the Indian attack. He is the main weapon, he takes wickets, he can put on the brakes when the opposition is getting on top, he can do everything," he said.
"We saw it against England when they were cutting loose, and against Sri Lanka again, when they were trying to attack. Looking ahead to the semi-final, Bumrah is going to be a key man for Virat Kohli. India are lucky to have someone with the ability to take wickets with the new ball, come back later and break a partnership if needed, and then to restrict at the death," he added.
India's victory over Sri Lanka helped Virat Kohli-led side topple Australia on the points table and secured the top spot. However, despite having a chance of regaining their top position, Australia failed to grab the opportunity as they faced a 10-run defeat at the hands of South Africa.
Therefore, India will now face fourth-positioned New Zealand in the first semi-final of the tournament on July 9.