'I have been watching it for years now. He's (Rohit) the best One-day player around and we are so delighted to see him. When he plays like that, everybody is happy to see him strike this so well,' Virat Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony in Birmingham. India defeated Bangladesh at the ICC World Cup 2019 to reach the semi-finals
Birmingham: India captain Virat Kohli is the number one ranked ODI batsman in the world. But, for him Rohit Sharma is the best batsman in the 50-over format in the world.
After Rohit registered a record-equalling fourth ton in a single World Cup on Tuesday (July 2), Kohli did not hide his joy and anointed the Mumbai right-hander as the best.
Also read: Kohli, Rohit take blessings from 87-year-old fan
Thanks to Rohit’s century and Jasprit Bumrah’s four-wicket haul, India defeated Bangladesh by 28 runs to seal a spot in the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2019.
"I have been watching it for years now. He's (Rohit) the best One-day player around and we are so delighted to see him. When he plays like that, everybody is happy to see him strike this so well," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony in Birmingham.
Also read: World Cup 2019 format, rain rules, Super Over and other playing conditions
In the ICC Rankings for ODI batsmen, Kohli is on top with 890 rating points followed by Rohit with 839.
Rohit equalled Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara’s feat of scoring four centuries in a single edition of the World Cup. Now, the Indian vice-captain has 26 ODI tons. So far he has accumulated 8,553 runs in 213 matches.
After the match, Rohit said, "I had a great feeling right at the start. It's a great pitch to bat on. The first game against South Africa, I had to take my time. Against England as well, the pitch was two-paced, and they used the conditions really well. There was no question of scoreboard batting first, so that's what I had to do.”
"I was lucky (early on)...fortune favours the brave. I never think about the shorter boundaries when I bat, because my game is all about piercing the field. Once you are set, the idea is to put pressure on the bowlers," he added.
Kohli also heaped praise on Bumrah. "His overs were always going to be crucial, so that's why we stopped him after four initially. He's a world-class bowler and he just knows what he's up against. We can look to capitalise on situations where we are in a position to score those extra 30 runs. Very happy with the way the team has played so far," the 30-year-old said.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.