'Even In IPL...': Anil Kumble Makes Bold Statement On Rohit Sharma's Form After India Captain's Century In 1st Test vs West Indies

Anil Kumble heaped praises on Rohit Sharma after the Indian skipper scored what was his second hundred in Test matches outside India.

Rohit's innings meant a return of form of sorts for the 36-year-old who had shown signs of struggle to get the big scores in his last few outings.

Source : Twitter/@BCCI

While the star of India's first Test match win over West Indies was debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal who slammed a record-breaking hundred in his maiden innings in the longest  format of the game, India captain Rohit Sharma too scored a hundred in this Test match. The Hitman registered his second hundred outside of India and his 10th overall in this format. Rohit's innings meant a return of form of sorts for the 36-year-old who had shown signs of struggle to get the big scores in his last few outings.

However, legendary India leg-spinner Anil Kumble showered praise on the opener and made a big statement on his form. He said that Rohit never looked 'out of form' be it the World Test Championship final or the Indian Premier League (IPL). He might have not got one big score but he looked in good nick throughout.

"You saw from Ball 1, the moment he stepped out, he knew he had to play a different kind of an innings, it was not the kind of pitch where the ball was coming onto the bat. Rohit likes the pace, even when the fast bowlers bowled those short deliveries, it was not coming on. He was happy to stay restrained and then, yes, on a couple of occasions, he took on the bowlers and hit them over the top," Kumble said during a chat on JioCinema which is streaming the India vs West Indies Test series for free.

"Yes, wonderful innings, much-needed for Rohit because it was not that he was out of form. Even in the WTC, he was looking really good, yes, he got out but he was looking good. Even in the IPL, he was looking good every time he went out there. You could make out that when someone is not in form, and he was never like that. I am glad that he could put his head down and get the hundred," he added.

Notably, India beat West Indies by an innings and 141 runs in the Test series opener and will now meet them in the second Test starting on July 20 at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.