India’s captain Rohit Sharma hits for six runs against Australia during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, Monday, June 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday stressed on staying calm and keeping things simple before their crucial semifinal clash against defending champions England on Thursday.
The last time these two teams had met, it was in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinals where England had completely outplayed India with a 10-wicket win.
“We want to treat this as a normal game. We don’t want to be talking about that it is a semifinal. We are enjoying each other’s company and we need carry on. It is a knockout game. If you think too much it doesn’t help,” Rohit said.
He also rejected former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s accusation that his team had “worked on the ball” to generate reverse swing in the T20 World Cup Super 8s match against Australia.
“Wickets are so dry (here). All teams are getting reverse (swing). Need to open your mind sometimes. This is not Australia,” Rohit said.
“You can’t ignore the fact that when Arshdeep Singh was bowling the 15th over, the ball was reverse-swinging. Isn’t it too early for the new ball to start reversing? The ball was ready to reverse by the 12th-13th over. Umpires should keep their eyes open. We also know a bit about reverse swing. If Arshdeep Singh is able to reverse swing the ball, some serious work was done on the ball,” Inzamam had said.
Rohit was also asked if India would line up with 4 spinners against England due to the wickets in the Caribbean being more spinner-friendly but the Indian captain remained tightlipped.
“We will see assess the conditions and then take a call on four spinners. We will see,” he said.
The 37-year-old also said that he expected the Indian team to play smart cricket against the reigning champions on Thursday.
“Honestly not a lot has changed since 2022. We have tried to play with free mind, T20 and ODIs as well. It all depends on conditions which were challenging throughout the tournament here. We want to be a smart cricket team. I have kept things simple personally and for the players as well. We have done well with role clarity and rely on the players making good decisions on the field,” he said.
“Everyone knows they need to get the job done. We don’t need to change from 2022 to 2024,” he added.
Rohit who scored a 41-ball 92 against Australia in their last match, said that the Indian cricket players are always under pressure but most of them are used to it.
“It is important to stay cool and calm. Staying calm has worked for me over the years. Sometimes you can lose cool as well. I am happy to let you do what you want but if it at cost of the team then I won’t let it happen. Indian cricket teams are always under pressure. Most of the guys are used to it,” he said.
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