Ahmedabad (Gujarat): There are expectations of over 140 crore Indians, who want the Indian cricket team led by Rohit Sharma to win the World Cup, which begins here on Thursday, with a clash between defending champions England and New Zealand. Skipper Rohit Sharma said on Wednesday the time has come for the group to "get secluded" and focus on the job.
India starts their campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on October 8 and the recent Asia Cup triumph followed by a 2-1 series win against Australia at home would have given Rohit Sharma and his team much-needed confidence before going into the World Cup. India's warm-up games were abandoned due to rain.
"I know what is at stake. The guys who are a part of the team know what is at stake. For us, it is about taking everything out and focussing on what we want to do as a team," said Rohit Sharma during the International Cricket Council's 'Captain's Day' event.
The skipper wanted his team to focus on one match at a time as the World Cup is a long tournament. "It ((hosts winning the WC) has happened in the last three editions of the World Cup. It is a long tournament and you cannot get too far ahead of yourself. It is important for us to try and focus on one job at a time and move on," the Mumbaikar added.
According to Rohit Sharma, Indian players will have to try and find their way to fend off expectations. "We need not worry about the expectations, because they are always going to be there. We don't have to worry about who we are playing and what is happening elsewhere, because it is time now for us to just be secluded and focus on what we want to do as a team," added the India captain.
The right-handed opener urged his teammates to focus on the "job at hand" and forget about the pressure while adding that the guys are used to going through the pressure whether it is playing in India or away.
Rohit Sharma further said the preparations ahead of the World Cup will give the players the mindset to rise above pressure. "It is very easy to say that (forget pressure) and it is going to be tough. But we have prepared really well. As long as you have prepared really well, it gives you a lot of confidence going into the main games," the Indian skipper said.
"We start in Chennai on the 8th and we do understand the importance of every game that we play in this tournament. So, you have got to be on top of your game", he said.
Talking specifically about the game against Australia, the star batter said, "It is important that we look at the first game in Chennai, understand what we need to do as a team, go and assess the conditions and try and get your best combination. Then it is game time. It is all about executing your skills and what you have prepared for all this time and having trust and belief in whatever you do."
He added that India will have to break down the targets for easy progress in the tournament. "It is quite challenging when you have to play 11 games. So, it is important that we break (it) down, and focus on one game at a time. It can be quite draining so it is important that you try and stay fresh so that you are able to make those decisions on the field wisely," he added.
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