Chennai: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was at his wittiest best during the pre-match press conference ahead of the first Test match between India and Bangladesh in Chennai starting on September 19, Thursday. Rohit answered several queries from the reporters, who touched upon a variety of topics including India’s opponents Bangladesh, KL Rahul’s form, the importance of the Duleep Trophy and the temperament of youngsters in the team.
India will continue the World Test Championship 2023-25 Cycle at home six months after defeating England 3-1 in a home series. Rohit Sharma’s men will take on a buoyant Bangladesh side, which is coming on the back of a stunning 2-0 series win in Pakistan.
While India will be vary of the dangers posed by Bangladesh, Rohit asserted that there is no need to devise a new strategy
“Every team wants to beat India. They take some pride in it. Let them have fun. Our job is to think about how to win the matches. We don’t ponder about what the opponent team is thinking about us,” said Rohit in the pre-match press meet in Chennai
“India has played cricket against almost every top team in the world. So, there’s no need to create a whole different strategy,” added Rohit.
Rohit also seemed unperturbed by the presence of pacer Nahid Rana, who can bowl over 150 clicks, and said that he would focus on the team rather than an individual.
On managing workload
Starting with the Bangladesh series, India are scheduled to play 10 Tests this year. Following the two-Test series against Bangladesh, India will play a three-Test series at home against New Zealand. Rohit’s side will then embark on a long tour Down Under to face Australia in a five-Test series.
With a large pool of players at his disposal, Rohit believes managing workload will be crucial despite the temptation of playing all “your best players”. In this context, Rohit gave an example of Jasprit Bumrah, who was given a “Test off” during the England series earlier this year.
On Fresh and young talents
Rohit seemed excited to see some fresh talents like Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the mix. Both fast bowlers were rewarded for performing well in domestic competitions like the Duleep Trophy. The Indian skipper also spoke about young talents like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, who have seen success early on in their careers. Rohit is not too worried about the danger of success getting to their heads and said the youngsters have mature heads on their young shoulders and are hungry “to play cricket for India and be successful”.
On Fearless approach
Rohit opened up on the fearless yet responsible approach of young players like Jaiswal and Jurel.
“Jaiswal had a great series (against England at home. Jurel showed what he is capable of with the bat. Getting those runs and in tough situations was good…you know, being fearless and not worrying too much about what happens outside,” he explained.
On return to red-ball cricket
Rohit admitted that returning to red-ball cricket after a long hiatus of six months was not ideal but the preparatory camp in Chennai has helped the team a lot. He also said the schedule of the Duleep Trophy ahead of Bangladesh came as a blessing for the likes of Rishabh Pant and Sarafaraz Khan, who have not played much cricket in the last few months.
On KL Rahul
Rohit also backed KL Rahul to deliver the goods despite consistency issues and said that the “clear message” given to him might help the batter to take his career forward in the longest format.
Rahul scored a classy hundred against South Africa in Centurion in 2023 and played a mature knock of 86 against England at Hyderabad earlier this year.
But before that, he scored just a single fifty in 12 innings.
However, Rohit believes in Rahul’s abilities and skills and indicated that the Bengaluru batter will start in the first Test against Bangladesh on Thursday.
“I think with KL, you know, the kind of quality he has, everyone knows about it. The kind of message that has been given to him from our side was very simple: we wanted him to play all the games. We want him to bring the best out of him. And it is our duty as well to bring the best out of him,” said Rohit.
Rohit praised Rahul’s ability to play pace and spin, making him an asset at home and away and termed him unfortunate for getting injured when he was in the middle of a purple patch.
“He’s got the game to play the spin and the seamers. So, I don’t see any reason why, you know, he can’t flourish in Test cricket. Obviously, the opportunities are there now,” he said.
On new team management
Rohit also opened up on the working style of new head coach Gautam Gambhir, which he said is different from his predecessor Rahul Dravid. Rohit said that despite the change in styles, he has a good understanding with the new head coach and the team welcomes a different perspective.
“New coaching staff has a different style but there is no problem. Good understanding is important, and I have that with Gambhir,” he added on his dynamics with Gambhir.
Gambhir took over the head coach role in July.
IND vs BAN: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma touched upon a host of topics in the press meet ahead of the opening Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
