Wanted to give Shami a challenge: Rohit

BRISBANE: Bowling Mohammed Shami only in the final over of India’s warm-up match against Australia was surprising. Justifying the move, skipper Rohit Sharma said that the plan was to throw a “challenge” at the man returning from a long lay-off.

“Honestly, he is coming back after a long time. So, we just wanted to give him an over. This was the plan from the beginning,” Rohit said. “He comes and bowls at the death. We know how lethal he can be with the new ball. We wanted to give him a little bit of a challenge, coming and bowling that death over. We saw how it was,” added Rohit.

However, concerns over India’s bowling remain ahead of its tournament opener against Pakistan on October 23. So, Rohit is seeking more consistency in bowling.

“There is definitely room for improvement. I am sure that we are on it, but I want to see more consistency in terms of where we want to pitch the ball. You know, when you play back home and when you play in Australian conditions, you have to change your tactics, change your lengths a little bit. Sometimes, keeping it simple and hitting the ball hard on the deck will be a good option.

“It is something we have been working on, speaking to the guys about it. But overall, it was a good game for us,” said Rohit after the thrilling win over Australia.