Following India's ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka with a 2-0 scoreline, captain Rohit Sharma clarified that he never intended to squander his wicket during the Power-play overs. His strategy was to accumulate as many runs as possible.
In the series, Rohit emerged as India's top performer, accumulating 157 runs, including two half-centuries, with a strike rate of 141.44 over the three games. Despite his aggressive approach during the Power-play, which did not result in a series victory for India, the rest of the team faltered against the Sri Lankan spin attack.
"I knew that the runs that will be scored during the Power-play will be critical. I knew that the wickets would get a little slow after that, the ball would turn a bit and even the field is spread out. When there are only two fielders outside the ring, we had to take our chances.”
“I took those chances whenever I felt that I could put the bowler under pressure. All the runs that you score over and above that, benefit the team to play the remaining 40 overs. My personal effort was to ensure that I scored as many runs as I could.”
“It was not as if I wanted to throw my wicket away after the Power-play. I wanted to continue the momentum and intent, but I unfortunately got dismissed while trying to play a few shots. My batting plan is pretty simple and straightforward," Rohit told reporters at the end of the tour.
India now faces a 42-day hiatus from international cricket and will resume with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai, starting September 19.
The 2024/25 Indian domestic season begins on September 5 with the Duleep Trophy, and some teams will commence their red-ball preparation with the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Tamil Nadu this month.
Rohit emphasized the importance of domestic cricket, stating, “That's always been our goal to make sure that guys who are available go and play the Ranji Trophy. Our domestic cricket is the backbone of our international cricket. A lot of the guys who are representing now for the country have come up playing domestic cricket. So, our domestic cricket is so crucial for everyone.”
“We want to make sure that it stays like that, it stays competitive. We get players from our domestic circuit only, not so much from IPL. When you play Test cricket, when you choose players for Test cricket and ODI cricket, a lot of the discussion happens on who's doing well in Ranji Trophy, one-day format, Syed Mushtaq Ali and stuff like that.”
“IPL, of course, is one format where the challenges are different. Different teams, and different players are playing, and high-pressure situation again for a lot of guys. So it's a combination of both. To be honest, you have to look at IPL as it is also our cricket. So at the end of the day, whoever does well in all of these tournaments eventually will get picked up,” Rohit concluded.
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