A file photograph of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
As the captain-deputy pair of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma led India by example in an emphatic eight-wicket win over West Indies in the series opener on Sunday, former skipper and IndiaTV cricket expert Sourav Ganguly hailed the leading men's "fantastic performance".
India defeated West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at Guwahati to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series on Sunday. Kohli (140) and Rohit (152*) shared a massive 246-run partnership for the second wicket as India chased down the challenging 323-run target with 7.5 overs to spare.
Watching India's easy win over the underdogs, Ganguly predicted that it won't be difficult for the men-in-blue to seal the five-match series too.
"It was a fantastic performance. It never felt as if they are under pressure of a stiff target. They easily won the match and I strongly believe they will seal the series too," Ganguly told IndiaTV during the show 'Cricket Ki Baat'.
Kohli pummeled the Windies bowlers scoring 21 fours and two sixes to bring up his 36th ODI century. The 29-year-old Delhi batsman is now just 81 runs away from the elite club of cricketers who have amassed 10,000 runs in the one-day cricket.
According to Ganguly, nothing is impossible for the dynamic Delhi batsman and he inspires others too in the Indian camp.
"Virat Kohli is a great player. Anything is possible for him. In 80s we had Gavaskar, then Sachin came and now we have Virat Kohli. With his impressive strokeplay, he also inspires other batsmen," he said.
"Kohli is like a diamond in the team. He makes batting look so easy when he comes at the crease," Ganguly added.
Even though Kohli hogged all the limelight along with the man-of-the-match award in Guwahati, vice-captain Rohit Sharma didn't let the nation down and drove India past the Windies with another 150+ score under his belt.
"He (Rohit) is no less than Virat Kohli. He started slow yesterday but anchored the innings and led India to the victory," the 46-year-old explained.
Mentioning the improvement in Rohit's game, Ganguly asked the national team selectors to keep the Mumbai batsman in perspective before picking up the squad for Test series against Australia.
"He has gained confidence in his game with time. In captaincy too, he has proved his mettle. This is the time for the selectors to take Rohit along on the Australian tour for the Test series. He has matured a lot in last two years," Ganguly said.
India registered a 2-0 clean sweep in the Test series against West Indies. Currently leading the five-match ODI series 1-0, the Kohl-led side will play three-match T20I rubber later. In November, India will tour Australia for three ODIs, four Tests and three T20I matches.
