India stormed into the Nidahas Trophy finals by registering a 17-run victory over Bangladesh the 5th T20 encounter at the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma heaped praises on teenage sensation Washington Sundar for his spectacular performance against the Asian counterparts.
Defending a respectable 176, Sundar returned with an impressive 3/22 to dismantle the Bangladesh batting line-up and seal India’s place in the final of the tri-series, which also involves Sri Lanka.
"Washington's spell up front was magical. It's not easy for a spinner to bowl with the new ball, so hats off to him," Rohit, who was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his blistering 61-ball 89, said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"Washington has been courageous to take the ball from me, not afraid to flight the ball, and he's very clear on what he wants to execute. That allows me to breathe easy.
"When a bowler knows what field to set, that talks a lot about that individual. He bowled well against Sri Lanka as well. The rest of the bowlers executed their plans perfectly too at the back end," he added.
Commenting on his own innings, which was long due, considering his slump in Sri Lanka, Rohit said: "The pitch wasn't the usual wicket, and the ball was gripping. It wasn't easy to hit on the up as well, so I decided to take some time getting set."
"I knew the new batsmen would find it tough. (Suresh) Raina's been in terrific form too, so hope he does well in the final too," he added.