‘The results do matter to keep the dressing room lively. We are playing in India, there will be expectations. We wanted to do the job at hand. It’s one thing to talk about it, but for everyone to buy into it is very important.’
- SCORECARD
Enjoying each other’s company in a lively dressing room has been possible due to good results, and vice-versa is also true, said skipper Rohit Sharma after yet another clinical performance that took Indian team’s victory count to nine on the bounce.
India ended their World Cup league stage beating the Netherlands by 160 runs in Bengaluru on Sunday, and skipper Rohit described their campaign so far as a clinical one.
“We enjoy each other’s company. We wanted to play with enjoyment on the field. We try to keep the atmosphere outside lively. The results do matter to keep the dressing room lively. We are playing in India, there will be expectations. We wanted to do the job at hand. It’s one thing to talk about it, but for everyone to buy into it is very important,” skipper said after the game.
Rohit’s men topped the league standings with 18 points and face fourth-placed side New Zealand on November 15 in Mumbai in the first semi-final.
“Very pleased at how we’ve played in these nine games. Very clinical from game one to today,” he added.
“Different individuals have stepped up and put their hand up and done the job. Everyone wanted to take the responsibility.
“We started the tournament four games in a row chasing, and then we had to bat first and the pacers did the job along with the spinners.”
Rohit said his side never looked too far and took one game at a time.
“Since we started the tournament, it was all about one game at a time. We never wanted to look too far ahead. It is a long tournament, 11 games in all if we go all the way,” he said.
“It was important to break it down and focus on it. We focused on one game. We are playing in different venues, and play accordingly, and that’s what we did. Playing in different venues, it was a challenge. We adapted really well.”
Rohit used himself, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill as bowlers against the Dutch. He and Kohli took a wicket apiece.
Asked if it was done as mind games, Rohit said, “It is something that is always in our mind. We want to create those options in the team, today we had nine options.
“This was the game we could have tried certain things. The seamers bowling those wide yorkers which was not needed but they did.”
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards conceded that the Indians “showed pure class with the bat”.
“They (India) soaked up the pressure. When you are three down with ten overs left, you are going to score some runs. We are a very young side. Lots of young sides in the setup.
“They are as good a side going around. We will have to be a lot better going into theT20 World Cup next year. Playing to learn with that.”
Asked about the future of the team after the World Cup, he said, “It’s a little bit of a tricky one at the moment where we want to be.
“We are pretty confident with the style we play. The tournament was always going to be tough. We have some training camps coming. Fixtures wise, I am not sure about that.”
- World Cup 2023
Source: Read Full Article