Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach and former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond recalled an interesting banter between Rohit Sharma and Trent Boult, saying the two cricketers were going at each other in the World Test Championship final even during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Rohit Sharma Trent Boult Banter in IPL 2021
Shane Bond said during IPL season, Trent Boult was running in, swinging the ball and hitting Rohit Sharma on the pads and telling him, ‘that is what gonna happen in the World Test Championship final’. (On Star).
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 15, 2021
“What I do know is that even during the IPL, Trent Boult was running in and swinging the ball and hitting him on the pad and telling him ‘that’s going to happen in the WTC final’,” Shane Bond said.
“They were already talking about it months in advance which was just brilliant. They were very aware, those two, that they were going to come up against each other,” he added.
Bond compares Rohit with Matthew Hayden
Meanwhile, Bond also said Rohit is a big threat to New Zealand in the WTC final, considering the way in which he likes to dominate the bowling attack. The former Black Caps pacer also likened Rohit’s approach to that of Matthew Hayden.
Rohit has enjoyed a lot of success since the time he started opening for India in Test cricket. In fact, Rohit is only one of the 6 players who have scored more than 1000 runs in the current cycle of WTC which began in 2019.
Bond said Rohit has a few weaknesses which New Zealand can exploit but added that the India opener can trouble Kane Williamson’s side if he gets off to a good start at the Ageas Bowl.
“I love Rohit Sharma as a player. I almost see him as a Matthew Hayden type of player. He goes out, as he did in the series against England on very difficult pitches, and imposes himself.
“He could come out and score very quick runs. He is dynamic and in difficult conditions, like Rishabh Pant, who can take the game away from the opposition very quickly even when New Zealand are bowling with the new ball.
“With the field up, being a natural stroke maker sort of suits him when the ball is hard. There are obviously some areas in the game that New Zealand can look to exploit, but what he does is score fast.
“If he can score fast and put runs on the board, that instantly puts pressure on the bowling group. I can’t wait for that battle, the Boult-Sharma battle with all the banter that has been going on and I am expecting a few smiles between the boys as well, which will be fun to watch,” Bond added.
IND vs NZ WTC Final dates
The IND vs NZ WTC Final will be played from June 18-22 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. A Reserve Day (June 23) has been set to ensure five full days of play.
The Reserve Day will only be used if lost playing time cannot be recovered through the normal provisions of making up lost time each day.
Notably, there will be no additional day’s play if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario.