‘He has shut everybody up’: Shastri hails Rohit Sharma’s Lord’s century

Rohit’s century was the first by an Indian batter at Lord’s, but it wasn’t enough to push India to the finishing line as they fell short of 27 runs while chasing a mammoth total and lost the series 2-1. Former India coach Ravi Shastri, who watched the game from the commentary box, hailed Rohit’s knock, his 34th ODI century.

“Rohit didn’t need to prove himself, but he has shut everybody up,” Shastri said while speaking on Sky Cricket.

“When you get those kinds of rumors floating around, it is sometimes irritating. When a player has done that much, he doesn’t have to prove anyone anything,” he added.

Shastri talked argued that a player of Rohit’s stature should never be questioned for his position in the team. Shastri said Rohit should have never been put in a position to prove his credentials.

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“But if he has the desire to play and work hard at his game and is still enjoying it, I think he should be given the opportunity for as long as he wants. The day will come when he will feel he doesn’t have it in him; he’ll go,” Shastri said making the case of leaving the decision entirely on Rohit only.

Rohit also responded to speculation about his place in the side, saying people can express their opinions freely, but his job is to keep scoring runs for India and help his country in winning.

“Look, my job is with the bat. Come and play, represent my country, represent the team. That’s what I’ve been told since I made my debut, so that’s what I am going to do,” Rohit said in a BCCI.tv video.