Indian captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that his hamstring is fine after India’s six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. India’s next fixture in the tournament is against New Zealand on March 2 in Dubai.
India dominated Pakistan in their Group A clash, restricting them to 241 in 49.4 overs after opting to bowl first, with Kuldeep Yadav taking three wickets. In response, India comfortably chased the target in 42.3 overs, led by Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 off 111 balls.
During Pakistan’s innings, Rohit briefly left the field with a hamstring concern, handing leadership to Shubman Gill. He returned after a few overs and resumed captaincy, easing fitness concerns. After India’s victory, Rohit addressed his injury during the post-match presentation and said (as quoted by Cricbuzz):
“It (hamstring) is okay at the moment.”
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The 37-year-old lauded Kohli for his brilliant innings, emphasizing that his batting form was never a concern in the Indian dressing room. He said:
“He loves representing the country. He wants to be out there playing for the team, doing what he does best which is to go out there and do what he did today. Over the years, we’ve seen it with him. People sitting inside the dressing room are not surprised with what he has done. It was good for him to be out there in the middle, finish the game off.”
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“Our Bowling Start Was Superb” – Rohit Sharma on Win Over Pakistan
Before Kohli’s brilliant knock, India’s bowlers did a great job keeping Pakistan under 250. Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, Hardik Pandya got two, and Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Harshit Rana took one each. Rohit Sharma praised the bowlers, saying they all did what was needed.
“The way we started with the ball was superb. To restrict them to that kind of a score was a great effort from the bowling unit. We knew it gets slightly better to bat under lights, gets slower as well. If you look at the bowling unit performance, everyone came to the party and did exactly what was required on that pitch,” the Indian captain said.
Rohit acknowledged the challenge of managing six bowlers but noted that their familiarity from playing together makes it easier.
“It can be quite tricky at times where some guys will not get to bowl 10 overs because we have six bowlers. It’s important what is working on particular that day and try and maximize those guys,” he added.
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