Guyana: India captain Rohit Sharma is not too interested in individual performances and says he wants every player to contribute with achieving the task assigned to him, and that's what has been leading to India's victories till now in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
"I would call the Bangladesh game perfect. There was just one boy who made a 50 and others contributed with 20-30 runs. Still, we scored 198 which was a very good score. Everyone must complete the target assigned to him and play his role. If anyone gets a 70, 90 or a 100 that’s good but I want everyone to hit the roles given to them. That's how it works for me," he said, addressing his pre-semifinal Press conference at the Guyana National Stadium on Wednesday where India takes on England for a bid to reach the final.
The skipper also refuted the view that the pre-determined semifinal venue for India at Guyana was an advantage. "A lot of these cricketers have played in different types of venues. At the end of the day, you've got to play good cricket to win a cricket game. That's how I look at it,” he said.
Laughing away Pakistan's veteran Inzamam-ul-Haq's contention about Arshdeep Singh doing something for the ball to reverse swing in just 15 overs, Sharma said, albeit silently, that it is a ridiculous point of view. "It's hot here and dry pitches. If it won't reverse swing here, where will it be? It reversed naturally. It reverses for all teams. We aren’t playing in England or South Africa. The mind has to be opened up. I will say that,” he added.
India lost to England in the last edition of the T20 World Cup but the skipper is not having déjà vu. Asked what has changed for the team in these two years from that match, he said nothing much.
"Whenever you approach an international game, we try to play with a free mind, T20Is or ODIs. It depends on the conditions. There are challenges from the conditions. New York was different. Here is different. We want to tell the individuals what they want to do in certain conditions and situations," added the Indian captain.
"Overhead conditions are something nobody can control. I am only worried that we could miss the flight if it goes too late. We will focus on the game and get the result in our favour. Two good cricket teams are playing, and it is going to be a great game,” Sharma added.
The weathermen in Guyana have issued a rain and thunderstorm warning for the match tomorrow. "We want to think that it will be a 40-over game. We will come to the match thinking it could be a shortened game. We will change plans if need be. We will be prepared for all kinds of scenarios. There was a shortened game against Bangladesh in 2022. We will adapt whatever the scenarios are,” he said.
Turning down suggestions of a fear factor, Sharma said team meetings and other huddles have discussed how to not get into precedent. “We will not talk about it and won't think about what happened in the past. It is important to carry on from what we have been doing. Yes, we were put under pressure, and we are not thinking too far ahead (about the final). If we think too much, we won't be able to make the decisions we want to make. We have had enough conversations with players on this," Sharma said.
Besides working on his personal strengths, Sharma has been spending time with the boys to discuss with them the importance of staying cool and calm.
"That has worked for me over the years. I know I must make decisions on the field. Sometimes you can lose your cool, but I can't help it. I have had chats with everyone. I am happy for the players to do what they want but if the cost is big, I can't let that happen.
"The Indian team is always under pressure. That is a fact. It has been there before and since the time I started playing. We want to have a bit of calmness in the hotel room and not get over-excited. We will take the game as they come. We will back the individual decisions…Certain individuals try to do certain things, we will back them," he said.
The smile was back on his face when asked about the takeaway from the Australia game against whom he hit a quickfire 92 in just 41 balls to pack them off. "There is no more an Australian team in the World Cup," he said as others joined in the laughter.
On a more serious note, he acknowledged the greatness of Team Australia. "It's a great side. That is the reason they have won so many times. The confidence we played with is something we can take away. The bowlers executing their plans and batters doing their job. When we win like that, it gives us confidence. This format is about confidence. No score is safe vs Australia and for us to win by 20-odd runs was a great boost to the confidence. Personally, I tried to put pressure on the opposition, that is when it was satisfying. As a batter, it was very satisfying,” he concluded.
