India's long-time main men Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have once again proved their worth to the critics with an emphatic show of strength which won the third and final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. Together they scored an unbroken 168-run stand for the third wicket and thus led the Shubman Gill-driven Indian side to a lifeless nine-wicket win in the dead rubber.
Rohit was simply gorgeous in his play and thus hammered 121 off 113 balls (not out), whereas Kohli was the man of the match with a smooth 74 (not out) and he guided the Indian innings to a successful end. In short, both seniors were out of the spotlight in the initial two ODIs of the series — Rohit only got 8 runs in the opener, whereas Kohli got two ducks in a row — but with their massive return, they have removed all question marks in regard to their form.
AB de Villiers backs ‘Legends’ amid criticism
Reacting to their knocks, South African great AB de Villiers came out strongly in support of Rohit and Kohli, slamming those who have been overly critical of the pair in recent months.
“I don’t know what it is about people — or if I can even call them people,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel. “Cockroaches climb out of their holes as soon as players near the backend of their careers. Why pour negative energy into players who have given their lives for their country and this beautiful game? This is the perfect time to celebrate them.”
De Villiers added that while a minority of detractors continue to question the two legends, the majority still admire their remarkable contributions. “They’ve taken a lot of criticism in the last few months. Everyone is just trying to push them down for reasons I can’t understand. Thankfully, most fans celebrate Rohit and Virat for their incredible careers — and it’s fantastic to see them shining once again,” he said.
Rohit added to his incredible record with this century, counting his 33rd ODI hundred, thus firmly establishing himself as one of the best in the format — just Virat Kohli (51) and Sachin Tendulkar (49) have more. On the other hand, Kohli turned into the second-largest run-scorer in men’s ODI history, overtaking Kumar Sangakkara with 14,255 runs in 305 matches, and now he is only behind Tendulkar’s record of all time.
