"Rohit Sharma is par excellence" - Ravichandran Ashwin in awe of India captain's exceptional batting in SL ODIs

Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised skipper Rohit Sharma for his batting performances during the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka. Ravichandran Ashwin stated that Rohit Sharma played with a fearless approach, despite being towards the end of his international cricketing career.

Team India, led by Rohit Sharma, had a forgettable outing during the three-match ODI series. The Men in Blue lost the 50-over series to Sri Lanka by 2-0. The first ODI match between India and Sri Lanka ended in a tie. Sri Lanka comprehensively defeated the Rohit Sharma-led team in the next two matches of the ODI series.

However, Rohit excelled with the bat in the ODI series. The right-handed batter started the series with 58 runs off 47 deliveries. He then amassed 64 runs off 44 balls and 35 off 20 in the next two matches. He scored 157 runs at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 141.44, hitting a total of eight sixes.

Rohit Sharma Is Par Excellence At This Point Of Time - Ravichandran Ashwin

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said he was impressed with Rohit Sharma's batting performance against Sri Lanka. Ashwin highlighted that Rohit showed intent from the start, describing him as exceptional.

"One thing that stood up for me in the Sri Lanka series was Rohit Sharma's batting once again. No matter what is happening, no fear, Rohit means I am going to hit. As a batter, Rohit is par excellence at this point of time," Ashwin stated.

Team India suffered their first ODI series loss to Sri Lanka since 1997. India will not play any ODIs until January 2025. The Men in Blue will play their next ODI series against England.

They will play three matches in Nagpur, Cuttack, and Ahmedabad from February 6 and 12. This series will be India's last ODI assignment before the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is set to take place in February-March.

Rohit Sharma Is Creating Options - Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravi Ashwin praised Rohit Sharma for his innovative batting techniques. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer stated that Sharma uses various shots like the square cut and reverse sweep. Ashwin also highlighted that Sharma can dominate fast bowlers by using his feet to come down the track.

"Rohit Sharma plays square, sweeps - tries reverse sweep, when he plays fast ball, he uses his feet to come down the track - he is creating options," Ashwin added.

The India National Cricket Team will shift their focus to a busy Test season. They will take on Bangladesh in the two-match Test series at home next month. India will host three Tests against New Zealand in October. The Men in Blue will travel to Australia for the five Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).

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