Rohit Sharma shared his views on a number of topics after India clinched the T20 International series against England 2-1, despite losing the third and final T20I on Sunday.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the skipper reflected on India’s all-out aggression with the bat through the series, and former captain Virat Kohli’s struggles among other things.
Kohli was rested for the first match of the series but featured in the second and third T20Is. The right-hander, however, only managed scores of 1 and 11 which raised further questions about his spot in the side as the team heads towards the T20 World Cup later this year.
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Kohli tried to look for boundaries from the start in both innings but couldn’t get going. Asked if Kohli’s aggression was his own attempt at finding form or an instruction from the team, Rohit said “it’s a bit of both”.
“We, as a team, we want to play in a certain way, and every player needs to buy into that thought process. Otherwise, you know, it’s not gonna happen for you. And all the players, all the batters, who are part of this squad, are willing to take that extra risk and go and see what extra they can do with the bat,” said Rohit was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“It’s important to find out within yourself, you know, to try and do different kinds of things. Unless you try it, you will never be able to find out [what you are capable of]. So I think it is something that we have been trying to do for a while now. Some days it might come off, some days it might not. But we don’t want to be afraid of going in and taking that extra risk. That’s how we’re going to learn as a team and that’s how we will move forward as a team. So it’s in everyone’s thought process, everyone is quite comfortable with that idea. So yeah, that’s the kind of direction the team is going to move in.”
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Kohli’s form has been questioned by a number of former players in recent time, including the likes of Kapil Dev and Michael Vaughan. Rohit, though, believes this is just outside noise the team doesn’t pay attention to.
“It’s not difficult at all for us because we don’t listen to outside noise. Also, I don’t know who these experts are and why they’re called experts. I don’t get that. They are seeing from outside, they don’t know what’s happening inside the team. We have a thought process, we make the team, we debate and discuss it and think a lot about it,” said Rohit.
“The players we pick are backed, they are given opportunities. People on the outside don’t know about it. So it’s more important about what’s happening within our team, that’s important for me. Also, if you are talking about form, it goes up and down for everyone. The quality of the player doesn’t go bad. We should always keep in mind when such comments are passed around. We’re backing that quality.”
Rohit added: “It’s happened with me, it’s happened with XYZ. There’s nothing new. When a player has done well so consistently, then 1-2 bad series, his contribution shouldn’t be forgotten. It might take time for some to understand. But for us, inside and running the team, we know the importance. I’ll request those on the outside, yes you have all the right to talk about it, but for us, it doesn’t matter a lot.
“The captain, the coach, selector, they all have a role. Because if we do one thing, and the selectors do something else, then it will not work. It is important for those who are building the team to be on the same page. These boys need to be given the freedom. It is very important to consistently keep sending them the message to play with freedom. Because they are very talented, and that talent will be utilised only if we give them that freedom.”
Rohit said the biggest takeaway for him from the T20I series win against England was the approach of his players. How they relished the opportunities and took risks.
“The mindset is something that we are trying to change, and they are willing to do that. They’re willing to take that risk. And when I go and talk to certain individuals, I hear the same kind of response from them,” said Rohit.
“We have seen some boys have been playing under pressure. We don’t want them to play under pressure. If they play with that freedom, they will do better than their own expectations from themselves. You saw an example today [Suryakumar Yadav], saw another one in Ireland [Deepak Hooda]. I won’t take names. That’s how boys emerge. It is important to let them know what we want from them as a team management. That message has to be consistent. If you say something today, something else tomorrow, it won’t work.”