India vs New Zealand: Harshal Patel a very skillful bowler, says Rohit Sharma after 7-wicket victory in Ranchi

a India captain Rohit Sharma heaped rich praise on Harshal Patel, who won the Player of Match on debut as India hammered New Zealand by 7 wickets in the 2nd T20I in Ranchi on Friday. With the victory, the hosts sealed an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.

Rohit Sharma said the team understands that Harshal is very skilful bowler and all those years of hard work in domestic cricket came in handy during his international debut.

IND vs NZ, 2nd T20I In Ranchi: Report | Highlights

Harshal Patel shone in his very first outing for Men in Blue, picking up 2 wickets and giving away just 25 runs on a dewy evening at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi. Rohit gave Harshal the tough overs and the 30-year-old, who became India’s 6th oldest debutant for India in T20Is, responded brilliantly.

Harshal rarely lost control as he executed his slower balls and Yorkers superbly even as some of his senior counterparts struggled. New Zealand were restricted to 154 as India were brilliant at the death, giving away just 25 runs in the last 10 overs.

“He’s done it many times, playing first-class cricket for many years, he knows what he wants to execute and is a very skillful bowler,” Rohit said after leading India to a series win in his first full-time series as T20I captain.

WHAT. A. WIN! #TeamIndia secure a 7-wicket victory in the 2nd T20I against New Zealand & take an unassailable lead in the series. #INDvNZ @Paytm

Scorecard https://t.co/9m3WflcL1Y pic.twitter.com/ttqjgFE6mP

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 19, 2021

Harshal Patel was rewarded for his consistency across all formats in domestic cricket. He made it impossible for the selectors to overlook him with a 32-wicket season in IPL 2021 wherein he won the Purple Cap.

ROHIT LAUDS INDIA’S RESILIENCE IN TOUGH CONDITIONS

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma lauded his bowlers for hanging in there and delivering even after New Zealand got off to a flyer, getting 67 runs in the powerplay.

India gave away just 64 runs in the last 10 overs and just 25 in the last 5 overs as New Zealand were restricted to 153/6 despite dew playing a part in the first innings itself.

“Great effort from the entire unit. Wasn’t the easiest of conditions but the way we applied ourselves was amazing. We know their quality of batting, they played some good shots to start with. But I kept telling the boys that it is all about one wicket. But we showed great application and temperament to restrict them,” Rohit added.

Having sealed a 2-0 unbeatable lead, India will be looking to complete a series sweep in the final T20I in Kolkata on Sunday. Meanwhile, Rohit said he is not sure if there are many changes to the XI in the final T20I.

“The quality of the bench has been amazing. They have been performing consistently whenever they get the chance. It is important for me to give them freedom. The external matters will take care of themselves. It is a young team and the guys haven’t played a lot of games.

“It is important that the guys get time in the middle. It is early to think about changes in the next game. Whatever suits team India, we’ll do that. We need to make sure we look after the guys who are playing now. They haven’t played a lot either. For the guys who haven’t played, their time will come, there are a lot of T20s,” he added.