"People call him magician in the squad" - Rohit Sharma lauds Shardul Thakur after series win vs New Zealand

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma showered huge praise on all-rounder Shardul Thakur after his stellar performance with the ball in the third ODI against New Zealand in Indore on Tuesday, January 24.

Shardul picked up three crucial wickets in a span of 10 deliveries to put the hosts back into the contest after Devon Conway threatened to take the game away from Rohit and Co. The Blackcaps were suddenly down from 184/2 to 200/5 and couldn't recover from there as they were all out for 295, losing the game by 90 runs.

Rohit largely credited Shardul for India's turnaround in Indore and revealed that the all-rounder is called a "magician" among his teammates.

"I know we had runs on the board but on a ground like this I don't think any total is safe," Rohit said at the end of the game. "I thought we bowled really well. We stuck to our plans and held our nerve. Shardul is somebody who has been doing it for a while. People call him 'magician' in the squad and he's done it again."

Shardul has time and again helped India break stubborn partnerships. Every time the going gets tough for the Men in Blue, the Mumbai-born cricketer is known for stepping up with impact performances.

Prior to his three-wicket haul, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricketer played a valuable 25-run knock off 17 balls and stitched together a crucial 54-run partnership with Hardik Pandya to help India post 385/9.

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"It was just about going that extra mile" - Rohit Sharma on 30th ODI hundred

After being asked to bat first by New Zealand skipper Tom Latham, Rohit Sharma enthralled fans with his brilliant batting display. He smashed 101 off 85 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries and six maximums.

The Indian skipper equaled former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's record of 30 ODI tons. Only Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (46) have more ODI hundreds than the Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper. Speaking on his knock, he said:

"It means a lot to me. I've been batting well but it was just about going that extra mile. Today was a good opportunity and I knew we needed a big total batting first."

Meanwhile, senior players, including Rohit, have been rested for the upcoming three-match home T20I series against New Zealand. The Indian captain will be back in action during the four-match home Test series against Australia, which gets underway in Nagpur on February 9.

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