Indian skipper Virat Kohli hailed opener Rohit Sharma as a player he "enjoyed" batting with after the duo combined to stitch a 246-run partnership which ensured an 8-wicket win in the 1st ODI against the West Indies at Guwahati on Sunday.
The West Indies registered a mammoth total of 322 after being sent in to bat first by India who won the toss. Shimron Hetmyer set the stage with a dominating century further backed with vital contributions from skipper Jason Holder and a fighting half-century from opener Kieran Powell.
India lost opener Shikhar Dhawan early in a tricky chase of 323 which tilted the game in favour of the Windies.
However, Kohli and Sharma ensured a hiccup-free chase following Dhawan's dismissal registering their fifth double-hundred partnership with the former scoring boundaries at will.
“I thought West Indies were really good with the bat. And 320+ totals are always tricky. But we knew it's all about one partnership. And life isn't difficult when Rohit is at the other end," he said.
Sharma adopted the role of a supporting player which the Indian skipper admitted was an extremely rare sight.
“It happens very rarely that Rohit plays second fiddle. Among the top three, I've preferred the anchor role, but today I felt good and I communicated with Rohit that he should play the anchor role. And when I got out, he took over and Rayudu played the anchor. I've always enjoyed batting with him," Kohli added.
The sides are all set to battle it out in the second ODI at Visakhapatnam on 24 October.
