Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (ANI) Ranchi: After losing 0-2 in the just concluded Test series, India are trying to press the restart button. And what better way than to rely on two of the stalwarts of the ODI format, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, as the hosts look to turn around their fortunes. India’s stand-in captain KL Rahul feels that the freshness and experience of senior professionals will be more than helpful in this situation. “Taking singles is as important as hitting boundaries in ODI cricket and Test cricket, maybe not so much in the T20 format. That’s something that Virat has done so well in his career and it’s something that we’ve looked at Virat and tried to learn,” Rahul said when asked about Kohli’s emphasis on singles in the nets on Friday.
Inside the Indian nets in Ranchi: How Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma prepared for first ODI vs South Africa
“Even in the dressing room, him and Rohit, we all talked about how we can improve as batsmen and how we can rotate the strike a lot more. “Obviously the ODI cricketer is in it. We are really happy to have him back in the dressing room. He is very excited to be here and play these games,” added Rahul. Apart from Kohli and Rohit, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is likely to add value to the team. “He has done the job again and again. I’m glad he’s back in the ODI team. He missed the Australia series but he was key to us winning the Champions Trophy with the bat, the ball and the field. He’s someone who can do everything. I think it’s great to have players who have experience and have done it time and time again,” Rahul said. Quinton will be a big influence on us: SA batting coach Hoping to continue their recent form in Tests, South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince said on Saturday they needed to improve in the “clutch moments”. Acknowledging Kohli and Rohit’s impact on the game, the former Proteas batsman said they are focusing on the damage the duo can do to the hosts. However, he was quick to add that De Kock could have a similar impact for the Proteas. “He is massive. Just like Rohit and Virat boost India, Quinny has a similar effect on us,” Prince said. “His experience and the quality he showed in Pakistan strengthens the dressing room,” he added.
