• Source:JND
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England's lightning-fast pacer Mark Wood has had his fair share of tough battles against Indian batters during his career, and the star speedster shared what makes bowling against the formidable opponents Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant difficult.

Wood shared his thoughts on bowling to India's batting mainstays, highlighting Rohit's remarkable command to control short-pitched deliveries.

Rohit boasts a better record against Wood in limited-overs cricket, scoring 113 runs in nine ODIs at an average of 56.5, with just dismissals. In the T20Is, Rohit's dominance continued, with a strike rate exceeding 133 in 3 matches, where he was dismissed only once.

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“Yeah, in different stages of my career, I would say Rohit Sharma. Difficult because against the short ball, you feel like you’ve got a chance of getting him out, but also if he’s on that day, he smokes it. So, he was difficult. I always felt like his bat was big, just kept getting wider,” Wood said on Overlap Podcast.

Talking about Kohli, Wood emphasised the former India captain's unwavering hunger for runs, highlighting the 36-year-old batting maestro's fierce competitiveness as a descriptive trait that sets him apart.

“Kohli, obviously. Unbelievable competitor, someone that I felt you have this weakness of fourth, fifth stump, drag him in. We seem to never miss him when I bowl him there. So, that was difficult,” he said.

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England’s express pacer said Rishabh Pant thrives on being a wild card, stating that the wicketkeeper-batter’s biggest assets are his unpredictability and courage.

“I think you’ve got to hold your nerve. That’s basically what I would say. He can be so unpredictable that it plays into his hands. If you’re the same all the time, he’s got such a good eye, he hits it where he wants. You need to mix it up with a slower ball, a high bouncer, or a fast yorker,” Wood said.