India vs England: Rohit Sharma leads India to win with Virat Kohli off the field

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan said it was a great move from Virat Kohli to allow Rohit Sharma to lead the team in the business end of the game.

Stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma celebrates picking up an English wicket with Hardik Pandya (right) in the 4th T20. (Photo: PTI)

Indian captain Virat Kohli had a forgettable game in the fourth T20 against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad apart from the fact that India managed to win the game and levelled the five-match T20 series at 2-2. Kohli, who scored just 1 before being stumped by Jos Buttler off Adil Rashid, went off the field in the closing stages of England’s chase and allowed his deputy to lead the side to a narrow eight-run win on Thursday night. 

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan said it was a great move from Kohli to allow Rohit Sharma to lead the team in the business end of the game.  

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit brought back Shardul Thakur into the attack in the 17th over as the medium-pacer claimed back-to-back wickets on the first two balls to pull India back into the game. Shardul, with his excellent variations, claimed the big wickets of Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan.  

“Great captaincy from Virat … !! Allowing @ImRo45 to get involved & clearly his tactics work … #INDvENG,” former England captain tweeted.

Great captaincy from Virat ... !! Allowing @ImRo45 to get involved & clearly his tactics work ... #INDvENG

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 18, 2021

Kohli revealed that he left the field to avoid a niggle as he left discomfort in the leg after a sprint. “I ran for a ball and threw it and I just aggravated my leg a little bit and I didn’t want to make it into a niggle or an injury. We have another game in two days and I took the smart decision of going out,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation. 

Vaughan also mentioned the Mumbai Indians connection from India’s crucial win in the fourth T20I. 

“Just a thought … @surya_14kumar Mumbai Indian … @hardikpandya7 Mumbai Indian … @ImRo45 captaincy Mumbai Indian !!!!@mipaltan #JustSaying #INDvENG,” Vaughan tweeted.

Just a thought ... @surya_14kumar Mumbai Indian ... @hardikpandya7 Mumbai Indian ... @ImRo45 captaincy Mumbai Indian !!!! @mipaltan #JustSaying #INDvENG — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 18, 2021

Hardik Pandya had an excellent game with the ball as he claimed two wickets for just 16 runs in his quota of four overs.