Aravinda de Silva Lauds Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's World Cup Performances

Sri Lankan Legend Believes Duo's Influence Unaffected by Final Defeat

Nov 21, 2023 - 11:24
Aravinda de Silva Lauds Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's World Cup Performances
Suryakumar Yadav

Of course, India was quite disappointed with their World Cup final defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad on Sunday. And much more so in light of the sort of run the squad had ahead of the final, with captain Rohit Sharma and captain Virat Kohli leading from the front.

Aravinda de Silva, a former captain of Sri Lanka, believes that one defeat would in no way lessen the influence that the two top run scorers in the recently finished World Cup, Rohit (597) and Kohli (765), had in the championship match.

When it comes to Kohli, first and foremost, one must acknowledge that he is a player who bats with the weight of a billion expectations on his shoulders every time. De Silva, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame recently, told The Telegraph late on Sunday night that "what he has achieved over the years and how he fared in this World Cup has truly been extraordinary."

He seemed to be at ease during the World Cup, which was reassuring considering how he performed throughout the tournament. Besides, it was only a matter of time before he managed to break free from the rut he was in during that difficult period.

He's just too skilled of a player to keep losing. A great cricket player will always find a way, as De Silva, who was named man of the match in Sri Lanka's World Cup victory in 1996, emphasized.

Regarding Rohit, De Silva said that his flying strokes in the majority of the matches were crucial to India's run to the championship. The 58-year-old was likewise gushing.

in his compliments on Rohit's leadership, which had a reasonable degree of accuracy, with the exception of a few moments during the Motera final.

It goes without saying that Rohit's early-inning batting style helped his side win the game. In terms of captaincy as well, he has led from the front and set a good example for others, managing the side really effectively.

India was undoubtedly the team with the greatest balance in the competition, as every player showed up and performed as expected. However, De Silva, who participated in 93 Tests and 308 ODIs, praised Rohit for managing his bowlers so well.

Does De Silva think that Rohit and Kohli will play in the 2027 ODI World Cup? It's too early to tell that, therefore it's challenging at this time. However, motivation also matters, so it relies on it in addition to physical fitness.

In the 1996 men's World Cup final, De Silva—who also sometimes bowled off-spin—became the first and remains the only player to capture three wickets and score a century.

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