Kevin Pietersen awestruck by Rohit's 'aura' in 1st ODI
What's the story
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has expressed his admiration for the 'aura' surrounding India's Test and ODI captain, Rohit Sharma.
Even though Sharma didn't contribute much with the bat in the first ODI against England, his presence made an impact on Pietersen.
The Ex-England player was in Nagpur for the match and post-game shared how much respect and attention Sharma commands from fans and opponents alike.
Here's more.
Match incident
Pietersen narrates incident showcasing Rohit's influence
Pietersen narrated an incident when the crowd went berserk as Sharma stepped out of the dressing room, even catching the attention of the England team.
"Honestly, it's unbelievable. Rohit Sharma exits the dressing room, and the crowd goes absolutely mental," he told the broadcaster in Nagpur.
"That's something he created; not because he's Rohit Sharma, but because of the runs he scored, because of his average he added."
Match outcome
Rohit's early dismissal doesn't deter India's victory
Despite all the hype around Sharma, he was dismissed early in the run-chase for just two runs.
However, Team India didn't let that affect them as Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel put up a strong show with half-centuries each.
Their efforts helped the hosts defeat England by four wickets in the first ODI match in Nagpur.
Post-match comments
Rohit praises team's performance and comeback
Following the victory, Sharma was pleased with India's performance in the first ODI.
He lauded Patel, Gill, and Iyer for their major contributions to the match.
"Pretty happy because we knew we were coming after a long time to this format," he said after the match.
Despite a tough start with England putting pressure, Sharma praised his team stating, "We wanted to quickly regroup. Didn't start off well, but the way we came back was superb."
Future outlook
Rohit remains optimistic despite recent Test form
Looking forward to the next series against England and the Champions Trophy in Dubai, Sharma is hopeful of his ODI form despite the recent Test failures.
"This is a different format, different time," he said.
He stressed every day is fresh and every series is new, and he is ready for the next challenge without thinking about what happened in the past.
Numbers
A look at the Indian skipper's ODI numbers
The Indian Test and ODI skipper owns a whopping 10,868 runs across 266 ODIs.
He also boasts an average of 48.95 including a strike rate of 92.39. He also owns 31 tons and 57 fifties.
His highest ODI score reads 264, which he hammered against Sri Lanka in 2014.
Notably, Rohit is only 132 shy of completing 11,000 runs in ODIs.
If he manages to do it in his next 18 innings, he will be the second-fastest to do so.