Virat Kohli Honors Rohit Sharma Particularly: “I Had a Great Time…”

After the two concluded the third One-Day International of the India-Australia series with an undefeated 168-run stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday (October 25), Virat Kohli was full of praise for his longtime batting partner Rohit Sharma. As they progressed from being the team’s youthful big hitters to become its most seasoned players, Kohli said he had “really enjoyed” batting alongside Rohit over the years.

When questioned about their relationship by commentator Adam Gilchrist after the nine-wicket victory, Kohli attributed it to a shared knowledge of the game. He said that it started with the home series against Australia in 2013 and that over time, even the opposing teams came to understand the power they might have when they worked together.

“I think it was pretty clear from very early on that we both understood the game pretty well,” Kohli said. When you grasp the circumstance, your own game, and how to apply it in many contexts, that’s the only reason you can play for so long. We have always taken great satisfaction in it, and naturally, when we come back together, we realize that we are perhaps the most seasoned players at this point.

However, we always believed that we could really steal the game from the opponent if we had a strong partnership and the sort of strokes we could employ. It all came down to communicating and remaining in the game. It all began, I believe, with the home series against Australia in 2013, when we really began to form those important alliances and start playing the game. From that point on, it was evident that the opposition also understood that any total was attainable if these players were in for 20 overs combined. You are aware that the opposition never wins the games. Thus, I had a great time batting alongside Rohit,” he said.