DUBAI, March 9: Rohit Sharma came to the Champions Trophy party when it mattered the most with his customary attack upfront approach in the final, which had the vote of the erstwhile team management helmed by Rahul Dravid and current one headlined by Gautam Gambhir.
Rohit, who had a torrid time in the Test series in Australia, got back to form in his favourite format, and his 76 set the tone for India’s four-wicket victory in the final against New Zealand here on Sunday.
“To have the result (going) our way is a great feeling,” Rohit said after winning the player of the match award.
Asked about his attack-at-all-cost strategy since the last 50 over World Cup, Rohit explained the rationale behind the move.
“It was not natural to me, but something I really wanted to do. When you are doing something different, you have to have the backing of the team and management.
“I spoke to Rahul (Dravid) bhai earlier and now Gauti (Gambhir) bhai as well. It is something I really wanted to do. I have played all these years in a different style, and now we are getting the results with this,” the ‘Hit Man’ said.
About playing multiple all-rounders, Rohit spoke about his understanding of the Dubai surface.
“The depth gives me the freedom and it helps. With Jadeja coming at 8, it gives you the confidence to go hard upfront. As long as I am clear in my mind, it is great,” the skipper said.
He praised KL Rahul, who played a couple of clutch knocks in semi-final and final of the tournament.
“Very solid mind, never gets over-awed by the pressure around him, that’s the reason we wanted to have him in the middle phase. There’s a bit of calmness when he bats and picks the right shot to play to the situation, he gives the freedom to others to play freely like Hardik.” Varun Chakravarthy was his trump card with nine wickets in the tournament and no amount of praise was enough for the mystery spinner.
“He has got something different about him. When we are playing on such pitches we want the batters to do something different. He didn’t start off in the tournament for us, but when he played against New Zealand and picked up a five-for. We wanted to maximise that. He has great quality in his bowling.” Rohit thanked the crowd for their constant support.
“I want to appreciate everyone who came out and supported us. The crowd has been magnificent, it is not our home ground but they made it our home ground. The number of people that came here to watch us play, to give them that win was satisfying,” he said. (PTI)
