Rohit Sharma Interview. (Photo Source: Star Sports/YT)
India skipper Rohit Sharma voiced his stance on handling the expectations from his squad ahead of the eagerly-anticipated 2023 ODI World Cup. Notably, the big-ticket ICC event will be played in India which begins on October 5.
With little over a month before the World Cup commences, Rohit expressed his delight at certain members of the squad making their comeback. Rohit heaped praise on speedster Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna for making a solid return during the recently concluded T20I series against Ireland.
However, he added that as the skipper, he would not add pressure and set expectations on certain players as everyone will be equally important to put on a show during the showpiece event.
“Jasprit Bumrah came back after a really long time and it was good to see him back because he is an important player in our team. Both Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna played really well in the Ireland series. So, these are good signs going forward for us. Both of them worked hard in the past one and half years at the NCA,” said Rohit in an interview with Vimal Kumar on YouTube.
“That said, I don’t want to add unnecessary pressure with any expectations by talking about one or two players. Every player will be important during the World Cup. Yes, there will be a little more expectations from certain players but we don’t want to add pressure on Bumrah. As such, playing for India and pressure go hand-in-hand,” he added.
Apart from Bumrah and Prasidh, the likes of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul also returned to the ODI squad for the Asia Cup after sustaining their respective injuries. It is expected that the selection committee will retain most of the squad from the Asia Cup for WC with minor changes subjected to their performances at the ACC event.
Speaking about the national team, team India will clash with arch-rivals Pakistan at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Saturday, September 2. The two sides will again square off in the ODI World Cup on October 14, at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.