Rohit Sharma always has the spirit to fight: AB de Villiers

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New Delhi. Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has praised Indian captain Rohit Sharma, saying “he is a fighter” and “never backs down from a challenge”.

Rohit has found himself in great form in the ongoing Asia Cup as he has scored a half-century each against Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In the clash against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma achieved an extraordinary feat in ODIs, which catapulted him into the elite club. He became the sixth Indian to complete 10000 runs in ODIs. With this, he became the second fastest member to reach this milestone after Virat Kohli, leaving behind Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, MS Dhoni and current India coach Rahul Dravid.

De Villiers said on his YouTube channel, “Rohit was the fourth slowest to score 2000 runs, but the second fastest to score 10000 runs. How is this comeback? I have a lot of respect for him. The first time I saw him play. When I saw him, I felt that this man had something special to offer. What I liked most about him – right from a very young age, he always had a fighting spirit. He never backed down from a challenge. “

De Villiers also recalled a match against South Africa in which Rohit faced South African fast bowlers like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and said, “I think of a Test match in Durban where he faced Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel. Morkel would not be able to stand against any of our fast bowlers. He would make eye contact. If anyone teased him, he would attack them straight away. I always liked that style.”

At the time, “I didn’t enjoy it because he was there to beat us. But when I look back, he always had an incredible fighting spirit.”

The 39-year-old South African player also praised the pairing of Shubman Gill with Rohit and described them as a dangerous opening pair for the opposition team. This partnership became the fastest Indian pair to complete 1000 runs, achieving the feat in just 13 innings.

De Villiers said, “What is very interesting is that he has formed an incredible partnership with Shubman Gill. Two fighters at the crease are always dangerous for the opposition team. As an opening pair, they have averaged around 87 with a strike rate of 110. He is averaging over 100 (95). If he can do that for India in the World Cup…”

India on Friday in Colombo’s R. They are set to face Bangladesh before taking on hosts Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup 2023 at the Premadasa Stadium.

(IANS)

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