India have taken a commanding lead of 2-1 in the ongoing five-match Test series against England with a resounding victory in Rajkot. Skipper Rohit Sharma shed light on the team’s remarkable 434-run win and the confidence that they showed in their ability to achieve success on any playing surface, including rank turners.
In the post-match press conference, Rohit emphasized the team’s track record on challenging pitches. He also stressed that the team doesn’t have control over pitch preparations, but they strive to adapt on different wickets and succeed regardless of the conditions.
“We have won a lot of matches on such wickets before. The turning tracks and on pitches where the ball turns remain our strength. It gives us balance. We have given results for many years and we will get results in the future as well. But we don’t have control over certain things – we don’t discuss whether we want rank turners or not. We come here (at the venues) two days before the match and how much can we do anyway in two days?” said Rohit.
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“The curators decide and make the pitch. We have the strength to play on any wicket and win on it. When we won the Test in South Africa (at Cape Town), everyone knows what kind of wicket it was,” Rohit added.
Rohit highlighted the team’s versatility in handling various pitch conditions they faced throughout the series. From spinning tracks in Hyderabad to low-bounce surfaces in Visakhapatnam, and now the turning yet unpredictable surface in Rajkot.
“(In) the last three Tests we played, there were different challenges. In the first Test (Hyderabad), the ball was spinning and the pitch was slow. In Vizag, it was (keeping) low. As the game progressed, the wicket became slower. Here, it played well for the first three days. Today, we saw that the ball was turning and it was low. This is (in) the nature (of pitches), we get pitches like these in India. But if we get rank turners, we will play on them as well,” the Indian captain said.
‘He knows exactly what his game is’ – Rohit Sharma praises Ravindra Jadeja
The Indian skipper acknowledged Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a century and delivered a match-winning bowling spell. Rohit praised the southpaw’s understanding of local conditions and also expressed confidence in younger players like Sarfaraz Khan.
“We’ve seen him over the years, he understands the conditions really well. He knows exactly what his game is. Here, he is no different. This is his hometown so more than anyone else, he knows these conditions better. I haven’t seen Sarfaraz bat that much. But all the people I’ve heard from, the players who are from Mumbai, (that) he’s made runs in a lot of difficult situations for Mumbai,” Rohit concluded.
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