Rahul Dravid hails Rohit Sharma for late heroics

While Rohit did not field, he came into bat at No. 9 after India were floundering in their chase of 272. The skipper smashed an unbeaten 51 off only 28 balls, a knock which included three fours and five sixes. However, the Men in Blue fell short by five runs despite his heroics.

At a press conference following India’s series loss, Dravid praised Rohit for his decision to go out and bat despite his injury. He said, “He had to go to the hospital. There was a serious dislocation in his hand. He had to get it set at the hospital, take a couple of injections and then get back to the field. Credit to him, he was very determined to have a go out and take a chance. It was amazing how close he got us.”

The head coach also confirmed that Rohit will miss the third ODI as he will be flying back to Mumbai to consult a specialist. Opening up on the injuries in the team, he lamented, “We are struggling with a few injuries as well. Not ideal. Kudeep (Sen), Deepak (Chahar) and Rohit will certainly miss the next game.

“Rohit will miss the next game, fly back to Bombay (Mumbai), consulting with an expert. Whether he will return for the Test series or not, I am not sure. It’s too early to say,” the Indian head coach added.

Bangladesh batted first after winning the toss in the second ODI. They collapsed to 69/6 in 19 overs as Washington Sundar claimed three wickets and Mohammed Siraj two. However, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (100* off 83) and Mahmudullah (77 off 96) launched a splendid fightback as Bangladesh recovered to post 271/7.

The third and final match of the three-match ODI series will be played in Chattogram on Saturday, December 10.

–By A Cricket Correspondent