India hammered South Africa by eight wickets in the opening Thiruvananthapuram T20I on Wednesday. The wicket was highly tricky to bat on, especially in the first innings, while Rohit explained the importance of playing on such wickets.
India skipper Rohit Sharma is content that his side got to "learn a lot" in its eight-wicket triumph over South Africa in a low-scoring chase on a "tricky track" during the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 50 off 33 balls assured India of not facing too many hiccups despite wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul's struggles on the wicket where South Africa was left reeling at 9/5.
"The wicket was tricky. You learn a lot playing such a game. You understand what the team needs to do in tough conditions. It was nice to play a game like that. We knew the bowlers would get something seeing grass on the pitch, but we didn't expect help for the full 20 overs," Rohit said after the victory.
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Rohit admitted that the pitch was slightly damp, making South Africa stay in the contest despite a negligible score of 106/8. "It was still damp. Both teams were in the contest, and the team that played better won the game. We started well and got five wickets quickly, which was the turning point. It was a perfect showcase of how to bowl when there is help for the pacers," added Rohit.
While Rahul scored a half-century (51) off 56 deliveries, Rohit stated that one has to respect the conditions to bat well. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy. Got to respect the conditions. Lost two wickets, and that partnership between KL and Surya got us home."
(With inputs from PTI)