We have ticked a lot of boxes: Rohit after Afghanistan series win

There were some things that Indian management needed assurance on, and this series against Afghanistan has provided just that. There were some doubts over how India would manage to fill the Hardik Pandya-sized hole in the playing XI, and it was effortlessly done with the inclusion of Shivam Dube, who backed his unbeaten 60 with a 63* in the second T20I against Afghanistan. 

With the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, there were questions over which of the two openers - Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal - would make way to accommodate Rohit at the top of the order. The hierarchy has now been confirmed with Jaiswal’s return to the setup, where he scored a 34-ball 68.  

In the post-match presentation, the Indian skipper Rohit revealed that the Men in Blue have ticked a lot of boxes during the course of the two matches in the series. 

“We have been clear with what we wanted to do, very clear message to everyone and when you see a performance like that, you can be really proud. One thing is talking about it, but to actually go there and play that way is a proud feeling. The last two games, we've ticked a lot of boxes,” Rohit said in the post-match presentation.

Rohit also credited Dube’s ability to take on spinners, stating that the management had a very ‘specific’ role for the left-hander: to take on spin. The Indian skipper also applauded Jaiswal’s shot range, at the top of the order. 

“Dube is a big guy, very powerful and can take on the spinners. That is his role and he has come out and played two crucial innings for us,” Rohit said. 

“They've had a great couple of years, Jaiswal has played Test cricket now and even T20I. He has shown what he is capable of. He has the talent and has a great range of shots,” Rohit applauded Jaiswal. 

Read: Explosive Jaiswal shows why he’s indispensable to India's T20 plans

After the clash, Dube revealed that his role was to take on the spinners and finish the game early for the Men in Blue. 

“The skipper is really happy with my performance, he told me well played. My role was to take on the spinners, but our plan was to both attack and finish the game early.There are many things that I have worked on, apart from skill it is about how mentally you prepare for the T20 game,” Dube told Sports18. 

“How to handle pressure, and deciding which bowlers to take on. It isn't important to hit every ball. I have been working on my bowling as well, happy that it worked out in the first game but not as much today. But that is how T20 cricket is,” he added.

Much of the damage on a batting surface was done earlier in the night when Axar Patel ran through the Afghanistan batting order, picking up two wickets, conceding just 17 runs on an Indore surface with a lot of runs in it. 

The left-arm spinner, in the post-match presentation, revealed that he has worked on bowling a lot slower, which has helped him earn the confidence to bowl across the different phases in the shortest format. 

“I have been trying to bowl a bit slower, vary my lengths and now I have been to gauge these things better. Now I have the confidence to bowl at all times, even in the powerplay. You need to be mentally prepared as a bowler in T20 cricket,” said Axar in the post-match presentation. 

With the win in Indore, India have taken an unassailable lead in the series 2-0, with an opportunity to complete a whitewash in Bangalore on January 17 (Wednesday).