RAJKOT: Indian captain Rohit Sharma says he believes in giving opportunities to everyone before the big tournament as this will help them to win the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
India lost their third ODI match against Australia by 66 runs on Wednesday, however, they sealed the series by 2-1. Ahead of the World Cup, India in a three-match series made many changes and gave every player a match practice.
In the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma said that he wants to give opportunity to every play and this could make them win the World Cup.
“I’m pretty happy, of course I would like to go all the way along but if I’m hitting like that I’m happy. The last 7-8 ODIs we have played really well, we have been challenged under different conditions and different teams, I thought we responded to that challenge pretty well.
Unfortunately not the result we wanted today. [on Bumrah] I’m pretty happy, more importantly how he feels body-wise, he has got so much skill, one bad game can happen to anyone. How he feels mentally and body-wise is key for us and that’s looking good for us” the Indian captain said.
“When we talk about the 15 we are very clear what we want. We are not confused; we know where we are headed as a team. It’s a team sport and we want everyone to come and play their part – that’s how we win championships. It’s about looking after the body and try and stay fresh for the next one and half months,” Rohit Sharma said.
In the match, Rohit tapping into his prime form, taking on the bowlers, and dealing effectively with the left-arm pacers will be a major takeaway for the Indian team.
While chasing a mammoth target of 353, a major shuffle in the batting set-up saw Rohit opening with Washington Sundar who failed to impress with the ball in the first innings.
Rohit looked dangerous right from the beginning, he stepped out of his crease, made room to open his arms and scored maximums.
His six sixes in his quick-fire 81 off 57 balls showcased his talent and raw hitting power. Unlike Mitchell Marsh, he didn’t run out of steam, but Maxwell’s blinder brought an end to his impactful innings.
Virat Kohli also announced his return with a bang as he swiftly put runs on the board, troubling the bowlers on each possible occasion.
But it was Maxwell once again who provided the much-needed breakthrough with his unexpected off-breaks and dismissed Kohli for 56. Shreyas Iyer looked in fine touch but fell to Maxwell for 48.
The rest of the game was a clinical bowling performance and impressive fielding from the Australian players at the boundary to break their 5-match losing streak and register a consolation win.
Earlier, opener David Warner’s explosive fifty followed by outstanding batting by Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith powered Australia to score a mammoth total of 352/7 against India. (ANI)