IND vs NZ | KL Rahul and I decided to swing from the word go in Super Over, reveals Rohit Sharma

After a 40-ball 65 in the regulation time, the Indian vice-captain was hence vested with the responsibility to complete the job for the team in the Super Over. After Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson posted a total of 17 in the Super Over, Sharma started off rather carefully with a double and a single but his recovery in the final two deliveries turned out to be series-winning for India. When asked whether the level of excitement was similar to a penalty shootout in football, Sharma said it was his first Super Over as a batsman and he enjoyed every bit of it.  

“First of all, Super Over is always fun. As a batsman, you know that you have to face six deliveries and then if you rotate strike then it literally becomes half the balls to face. And it can go either way depending on how much we’re chasing or you know, who’s bowling and things like that.  But it was good fun to be out there in the middle,” Rohit said in the post-match press conference. 

“I’ve been part of a Super Over before, but this was my first Super Over where I batted. So I had no idea what to expect, how to start the Super Over, whether to take a single first ball or just go for it.  So, yeah, KL and I just decided that we have to swing from the first ball because to get 18 you know we needed three good balls, three sixes.”

Meanwhile, Kane Williamson steered the team’s ship with an exceptional knock of 95 off 48 balls. However, the team lost it after Williamson was dismissed by Shami with just two runs required off three deliveries. Sharma has hailed the hosts’ performance in Hamilton.

“I feel for New Zealand, they played too good a game to be on the losing end. I know how disappointing it must be for them,” he stated.

Further on, when asked if there can be any prior planning for Super Overs, the seasoned batsman said that for the batters, it’s about figuring out who is in touch. Meanwhile, when it comes to the bowling department it’s about consistency. He revealed that it was his 65 that was the reason behind him being asked to face the Super Over challenge. 

 “I don’t know if you can train for Super Overs. We have a T20 specialist in Bumrah, for him Super Over or whether he bowls in a T20 match is the same for him. But for us batters, you generally see who has been in a good nick that day and you try and assess to have that guy go out and bat in the Super Over. If I hadn’t scored a 60 today, I might not have been chosen.

"It probably would’ve been Shreyas Iyer or someone else. KL Rahul has been in good form off late so there was no choice there. I batted well today, so the management thought I would be a better option to go and face the Super Over, so that’s how you assess [ according to the situation] and send in your best players,” Sharma added.

Sharma also revealed that ahead of sending in their best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, there was a confusion regarding who to send between Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja, who had performed better than Bumrah in the game. However, the final call was made due to Bumrah’s prime quality and consistency.

“Otherwise, there’s no planning that can be done in these situations. You know, Bumrah has been one of the key players for us so there was no choice. Of course, there was confusion as to if Shami should be given the ball or should it be Jadeja. But in the end, you have to go with someone who has been consistent in bowling yorkers, slower balls and things like that. And the batters as well, as I said, someone who has had a good day will try and go bat and face the challenge,” Sharma concluded.