T20 WC 2024: "I thought 170 was a very good score on this surface", says Rohit

In the T20 World Cup 2024 match against England Indian captain Rohit Sharma knew that 171 was going to be a very good score on a slow pitch The presence of spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel proved to be fruitful for India in GuyanaKuldeepAxar duo shared six wickets between them and helped the side defeat England by 68 runs to enter their third T20 World Cup final Rohit who has now led India to the third global final in the last 12 months expressed hope that Virat Kohli is saving his best for the last title clash against South Africa in Barbados on SaturdayAt one stage 145150 as the game went on after that partnership we said another 25 runs I can set the target in my mind but I dont want to let anyone know about it to the batters They are all instinctive players I thought 170 was a very good score on this surface Rohit said at the postmatch presentation ceremonyWith Kuldeep and Axar taking 6 for 42 between them in eight overs Rohit knew that victory was always on the cards They Axar and Kuldeep are gun spinners Its difficult to play some shots the pressure is on them as well but they were calm and knew what to bowl If the players play according to the conditions things fall in place Very pleasing with how we came throughAlso ReadT20 World Cup 2024 Harbhajan Singh slams Vaughan over Guyana controversyThe win came about exactly the skipper wanted it to be executed Very satisfying to win this game We worked really hard as a unit To win this game like that was a great effort from everyone We adapted to the conditions really well It was a challenge and we adapted We played the conditions really wellVirat Kohli has been struggling to score runs in the T20 World Cup 2024 He has scored 75 runs in the seven innings but the Indian captain is least bothered about his form He Kohli is a quality player Any player can go through that We understand his class and his importance Form is never a problem The intent is there Absolutely backing Kohli for the final Rohit seemed confidentAbout playing another ICC tournament final in seven months time the skipper said he just wants his troop to be calm on the big day We have been very calm as a team We understand the occasion final Staying composed helps you make good decisions Thatll help us making the game throughAxar was menacing during the powerplay as he snapped three wickets one each with the first delivery of his first three overs to knock the stuffing out of EnglandThe wicket was stopping and keeping low so tried to bowl in the right areas Since the wicket was slow I tried bowling slower in this match and it worked for me It wouldnt have worked had I bowled quicker It would have been easier for their batters Axar who won the Player of The Match award saidAxar knew that 171 was enough after getting inputs from the toporder batters Our batters told us that the wicket wasnt easy so 160 was a good total according to us That partnership between Rohit and SKY was magnificent they scored the occasional boundaries and rotated the strikeFollowing the loss England captain Jos Buttler has no hesitation in accepting the fact that his team was outplayed by the Men in Blue India certainly outplayed us We let them get 2025 runs too many It was a challenging surface they played well They fully deserved this win the England skipper said after the matchHaving thrashed India by 10 wickets in the 2022 semifinal at Adelaide the shoe was on the other foot for the dashing opener Very different conditions than 2022 but credit to India They played a very good game of cricket With the rain around we didnt expect the conditions to change too much Dont think it really did They outbowled us They had an abovepar scoreButtler admitted that not bowling Moeen Ali was a mistake In hindsight should have bowled Moeen in that innings with the way spin was bowling We are really proud of everyones effort We stuck together came up short when it mattered the mostWith PTI Inputs