Ahead of India vs England T20 World Cup semifinal in Adelaide, Rohit Sharma addresses the media on Wednesday. Here’s what he said.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma addresses the media on Wednesday in Adelaide. Here’s what he said.
On securing a semifinal berth
“It’s an opportunity for us to come to that. It’s a long process and we want to stick to it. We have to play good cricket.
On defeat vs South Africa
“We can take pride in ourselves from where we have come. Two good teams have been knocked out. We have to do well. One bad game can’t truly define who you are.”
On Adelaide as a venue
“Last year, in Dubai, the dimensions of the ground didn’t change much. Some of the grounds here (in Australia) have smaller boundaries, some are not. For the guys who are here, it’s a challenge.
“We adapted nicely. Adelaide is one ground we have to sit and decide. Melbourne was bigger ground. In Adelaide, we had completely different scenarios and we know what planning is required here.”
On Axar Patel
“I’m not really worried about him (Axar). He hasn’t bowled his full quota. We have seamers who have bowled full quota which means spinners can’t bowl full quota. We didn’t get Axar to play in the powerplay which is his quality. He did well in the series before coming here. He is in a good space”
On SKY
“He is a sort of guy who doesn’t carry baggage. Not suitcases — he has plenty of them because he shops a lot.
“He has been playing like this all year. He likes to go out and express himself. That is why he was there in the last World Cup. As we say, the sky’s the limit for him. He has taken the pressure off others. He knows and understands his game. He knows what bowlers are doing. He told me that he doesn’t like smaller grounds. He likes to play on the bigger ground because he can see the gap in the bigger ground.”
On being hit at nets
“It seems to be fine now. There was little bruising.”
On Pant and DK
“Rishabh didn’t get to play all games, including a few practice games. He was the only guy missing from that list. It will be unfair if you bring the guy to and make him play straight away. We have told all the guys about this to be ready whenever required. We wanted to give a left-hander an opportunity against Zimbabwe. What is going to happen tomorrow, I won’t be able to tell you now.”
“We need to start fresh and the past doesn’t matter. We can’t go to the game (thinking) that we have beaten this team. These guys (England) are dangerous as we can see that they can beat any team.”
