Follow UsUnder Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India have been one of the most impressive teams at the T20 World Cup, with just two losses, one against South Africa and the other coming against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022.
While they were criticised for their ‘slow and cautious’ template back in 2022, the 2024 Indian outfit has been completely different, playing slam-bang cricket at the global event. India have the second-best attack % in the competition, at 66.20, only behind their opposition for the semi-final, England.
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Ahead of the semi-final, Rohit insisted that the Men in Blue have remained unchanged and have just continued their aggressive brand of cricket, which was on display during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
“Honestly, not a lot has changed, whenever you approach a T20 game, you try to play with a free mind. Even in the ODI cricket, we have followed that template. Not a lot has changed as such, it depends on what the conditions have to offer. So, it depends on that and what challenges it brings,” Rohit said at the pre-match press conference.
India were one of the few teams that suffered the fate of a low-scoring venue in New York. However, since they have made the switch to the Caribbean, they have opened up a completely different version of themselves, with a free-scoring approach in their last Super 8 encounter against Australia, where they posted their first 200-run score of the season. Rohit insisted that India want to be a ‘smart team’ and read the conditions well.
“New York was completely different and West Indies is different. We want to be a smart team, the moment we realise that it is a good pitch, we want to play our way, and you all saw how we played. Not much that you have to discuss, we have given everyone a role clarity as well,” Rohit talked about reading the conditions.
“We want to rely upon them to make good decisions, we don’t want to keep talking to them. Our priority was to keep it simple and give them the freedom in this format. Everyone knows that they have to get the job done. Throughout this tournament, we have done it well,” he added.
India are yet to win a T20 World Cup in 17 years after winning the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup under MS Dhoni’s leadership. Does that factor add a lot of pressure to the current setup? Or do they consider the semi-final just as important as any other fixture thus far?
“It is a bit of both. We want to treat this game as another game, we don’t want to think about what lies ahead and the context of it. Everyone knows in the back of their mind it is a semi-final, and you don’t want to talk about it. The entire group is in a good frame of mind. Enjoying each other’s success and company, it is important to carry on the good work. We have been put under pressure in the tournament, but we have responded very well. We don’t want to think too far ahead, we will only concentrate on this game. If you think too much, you won’t be able to make the decisions,” he said.
One allegation surrounding the Indian team has been that they were given an unfair advantage over the other teams, with a pre-determined venue for them if they qualified for the semi-final stage of the competition. However, Rohit slammed those thoughts, suggesting that it is a level playing field.
“I don’t think it is an advantage, all these players have played at different venues. I don’t see this as an advantage, you have to play good cricket to qualify. Overhead conditions are in no one’s hands. We will focus on this game, and get the results in our favour. Two good cricket teams are going to play, it is going to be a good game,” he added.
Rohit’s men have thus far played without too much fear in the competition, and the Indian skipper has pointed that out to the players' security. The 37-year-old insisted that the dressing-room environment has aided the players in playing without fear and fulfilling their role, even if it meant they had to score just 30-40.
“Yes, it's important to play without fear. Of course. And we have created this environment in the team for the past few years. Now, we have been constantly talking about this thing for a long time. That we don't have to think much and play without thinking. This format is like that now. Individual scores and individual brilliance don't matter that much. If someone does it, it's good, but you shouldn't focus on it that I have to score 70 runs, 90, or 100 runs,” he said.
“I think the game that we played in Bangladesh was the perfect game. I think Bangladesh's game was perfect. Why I say that is because only one guy scored 50 runs. Rest of the team scored 20 - 30, 20 - 30, and still we reached 198. Which is a very good score.”
“As a captain I really like that, because, I think the role we talk about – everyone played their role, and still not one or two people made 70 – 80 runs. One made 50, and then the other 6 players made 23 – 30 each and made us reach 198. That is because the role that we have given each player – he did his role in his phase. That's when we reached that score. I think this is what our team needs - if we play 8 batsmen, they will play their roles and we will get the score we want,” he concluded.
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