India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said Thursday Rohit Sharma "doesn't need to be taught to score hundreds", backing his captain to the hilt after his failure to convert a blazing start into a big score in the World Cup final against Australia attracted criticism.
Rohit was in full flow throughout the tournament and the brisk starts that India enjoyed were largely due to his pyrotechnics at the top of the order.
Scoring at an incredible strike rate of 125, he amassed 597 runs in 11 matches. However, Rohit received criticism from some quarters after an adventurous attempt to hit Glenn Maxwell out of the ground in the final led to his dismissal for a 31-ball 47, which set a solid foundation but from where his team could not consolidate. "Everybody says in hindsight that he would score 100 if he carried on, but it was his intent that made the team play in such a way.
Rohit Sharma doesn't need to be taught to score hundreds - he has had quite a lot - but it is the intent which counts," Ashwin said.