IND vs NZ 2021: "When I am captaining him I always tell him to bluff" - Rohit Sharma on getting out to Trent Boult

Rohit Sharma made a winning start as Team India captain as they won a nail-biter against New Zealand on Wednesday at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Chasing 165, KL Rahul and Rohit got the hosts off to a flying start. They added 50 runs in just five overs before Mitchell Santner got the better of Rahul. Since then, Rohit Sharma (48) and Suryakumar Yadav forged a 59-run stand for the second wicket to put India on track.

Trent Boult then foxed the India captain with a beautifully setup plan. He bowled a brilliant bouncer that saw Rohit go for the pull short but he got caught by Rachin Ravindra.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony on his dismissal, Rohit Sharma said:

"Boult and I have played together a lot. He knows my weakness and I know his. It's a good fight between the two of us. I knew what he was going to do. When I'm captaining him (At MI), I always tell him to bluff. I knew he was going to bowl the bouncer but I was just trying to put it over the fielder's head. Unfortunately couldn't do that but I'm happy with the win."

Rohit Sharma's dismissal did help the Kiwis fight back and take the game deep. But Suryakumar Yadav (62) took the game before Rishabh Pant (17*) held his composure. They made sure India sailed past the target with two balls to spare.

Rohit asserted that Suryakumar will be a key component of India's middle-order as they look to build a template for the next T20 World Cup. He stated:

"Surya batted brilliantly. That's how he plays. He takes his chances and that we want in the middle overs. He played some percentage shots as well and that will give him a lot of confidence moving forward. He's a very important player for us in the middle overs. He plays the spin well and uses the pace of the fast bowlers as well."

The batter from Mumbai has taken the cricketing world by storm with his free-flowing batting. He will look to continue the good work in the next two games against the Black Caps.

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"It was a great learning for the guys" - Rohit Sharma

After a clinical effort from the bowlers where they restricted the T20 World Cup finalists to 164 runs, India got off to a flashing start. They looked well ahead in the game before the Kiwis made a strong comeback in the last six to seven overs.

India managed to chase down the total and Rohit Sharma lauded the batters, who held their nerves to pull off the victory.

"It was a hard fought victory. We saw towards the end that it didn't come as easy as we expected. I think it was a great learning for the guys who haven't batted in this situation for India. It's a great learning for them to understand what's need to be done. It's not about the power-hitting all the time and you need to try and put the ball in the gaps to try and take singles and find boundaries," the 34-year-old batter said.

He continued:

"As a captain and as a team, we are happy that these guys got an opportunity to bat in this situation and finish the game off. It was a good game for us. We're missing a few players so it gives the other guys a great opportunity to come and see what they have in terms of their ability. The way we pulled it back at the end was amazing."

Rohit Sharma also applauded Ravichandran Ashwin for putting up a thorough performance and the partnership he forged alongside Axar Patel.

"At one stage, they looked set for 180+ but in the end it was a great effort from the bowlers. It was a complete bowling performance for all of us. The spinners have been brilliant. They ball in tandem for the Delhi Capital and we've seen over the years that they are a wicket-taking option in the middle, which is a good sign. It'll give them more confidence. Ash has played a lot of cricket. For him to come back from the World Cup has been good. We know his quality and the same goes for Axar," Rohit concluded.

With India 1-0, they go up against each other in the second T20I on Friday in Ranchi.