Follow UsAfter suffering a crushing defeat against England in the rescheduled fifth Test, the Indian players are defeated and deflated. On the eve of the first T20I against England, skipper Rohit Sharma said only time will tell how the Edbasgtion defeat will have an impact on the side in the long run.
In an incredible turnaround, England recorded their highest-successful run chase in the longest format of the game to level the series 2-2 and snatch a golden opportunity from Team India to win their first series in England since 2007.
"It's obviously disappointing to not come out as victors. The Test series was for India to win. That said, time will tell whether that loss will have any impact in the T20I and ODI series against England," Rohit said in a pre-match press conference.
The skipper of the Indian side missed the Test match after testing positive for Covid-19 and will be in action for the first T20I starting on July 7 at the Ageas Bowl.
Umran Malik is a part of our plans
In the two-match T20I series against Ireland, Umran Malik featured for the Men in Blue, and Rohit believes the speedster is an exciting prospect for the team heading into the upcoming World Cup.
"Umran is very much in our plans. Right now, we are trying to give him an understanding of what his role would be and what the team requires from him. We have to see where we can bowl him," Rohit said.
"Umran is definitely one of those players, and keeping the World Cup in our sights, we want to see what he has to offer to us. So, it's all about giving him that ideal role of a pacer, depending upon the situations," he further added.
England series an opportunity to build ahead of the World Cup
The right-handed batter joined the team in the practice session for the first time after successfully recovering from the virus revealed that the three-match T20I series against England will be an ideal opportunity for his side to determine where they stand before the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"With one eye on the World Cup later this year, this is an important series for us. That said, every game for India is important right now, and we want to get our job done in this series as well," Rohit said.
"The hunger is definitely there whenever we are representing India. So, it's not going to be any different this time," he added.
With a plethora of senior players who featured in the Test match rested for the first T20I, the opening match could see youngsters like Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson in action.
"There are many young players in this side who have rightfully earned opportunities to play for India through their brilliant performances for their state and IPL teams.
"England will be a challenging side for us. I am sure these (boys) who have been here for a while, played a handful of games against Ireland and a few practice games as well, will be looking forward to this T20 series," he signed off.
(With inputs from PTI)