‘Poora din soch ke bhi kya ho jayega (What will happen even if you keep thinking about cricket the whole day?)’ Rohit Sharma at ease before World Cup semifinal | Cricket-world-cup News
It was a tricky question thrown at Rohit Sharma. ’Is this the most dominant Indian ODI team?’.The obvious truthful answer is yes, but even the straight-talking Rohit treaded carefully. He paused, gathered his thoughts, and spoke slowly: “I wasn’t part of the 2011 team. I don’t know which team is better. Hard to say. I can’t say 2019 is better than 2023 or not.” So far so (diplomatically) good.
He then nailed the key factor of this team as he saw it as the captain. “What I can say is that the role clarity is very clear in this World Cup team.” But he was too smart to leave it hanging there. “I am not saying there was no role clarity in 2019; just that I wasn’t part of the management then. I would say all teams I was part of were dominant.”
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He would return to role clarity in detail, but there were a couple of amusing tidbits from the press conference worth noting down: At least three times, he would reference the World Cup final; in his mind, it seemed as if there was no doubt that India would head there. Quiet confidence, or a banana-peel quote that would be referenced cynics later? It must be stressed that at no point did it come out as disrespect or boasting; he would even hail New Zealand as “the most disciplined team he has faced” in recent years. It just came about when he would be talking about processes to follow or how he saw his own journey in this World Cup.
“First getting through the qualifying stage, then semifinal and then the final, there are processes you have to do.” Or when he talked about his journey: “Honestly, no time to think about all that. Right now, it’s about the business of getting the job done for the team. Perhaps after 19th November [the day of the final], I can think. We know how important this week is.” Or when he spoke about handling pressure. “We just wanted to play good cricket. Even for the next two games, that’s our focus.”
The second amusing answer came about when he was asked if he has sleepless nights and if his mind gets clogged with thoughts about cricketing matters.
“Chalta hai (the mind does that), but I am not living alone. The family is with me. So my mind is occupied. We keep away from cricket once we go to the room. If there is a chance not to think about cricket, one should do it.”
Mumbai: Indias captain Rohit Sharma, coach Rahul Dravid and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 first semi-final match between India and New Zealand, at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (PTI)
Then a nonchalant Rohit-ism slipped out. ”Poora din soch ke bhi kya ho jayega (What will happen even if you keep thinking (about cricket) the whole day?”
If there is one aspect that he talks openly with respect to his captaincy, it’s about “role clarity” and “freedom” given to players.
“I don’t have any mantra for captaincy. As a captain, I think if you want to play a certain way of cricket, the team should know it. If a certain player wants to play a particular way, then he has to be backed. I have to give credit to Rahul [Dravid] Bhai also for backing me on that – not changing any player’s approach even if it doesn’t come off at certain times. Role clarity and freedom is key,” Rohit said.
He also opened up on the team environment under him. “It’s been a conscious effort not to only go over the results. It’s not the job of one player or two. It involves everyone, even the support staff.”
Living in a glass bowl
Everything this team has done off the field has gone viral in this social-media age. The dressing-room fielding celebrations or the sight of Dravid poring minutely over the pitch two days before any game at every venue. But it seems there are a few things that the team has managed to keep secret.
“In Dharamsala, we even had a fashion show. Good that no one knew about it. It’s good that some things are kept within the team. These activities help in bonding. There will be pressure. Once you reach the ground, it’s up to the individuals how they want to take it forward. But before that, we have tried off-field to have a good environment.”
As always, Rohit was quick to point out that there’s nothing new in these matters, not something special for this World Cup. “Even in the last (T20) World Cup in Australia, it was like this. We reached early, and had a camp in Perth. We had an activity on an island near Perth, just to keep things light. These things used to happen before also. Perhaps jyaada dikh raha hai these days (it is in public domain these days).”
The question about past World Cups came up. Again, Rohit punctured pressure, if any, from the past. “Honestly, that’s the beauty of this team. Half the guys weren’t even born when we won the first World Cup (in 1983). In 2011, half of them weren’t even playing serious cricket. These guys are focused on the present. I don’t see them talking about the past – they are thinking how to improve. The focus is always on the present. What we can achieve today, that sets you up for tomorrow.”
When asked if he and Virat Kohli talk about the past, Rohit denied it. “What happened in the past is in the past. The focus is on the present. We don’t talk about past World Cups.”Most Read
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He also touched upon the big-picture challenges of playing in a home World Cup across nine venues. “Our first focus was to qualify for the semifinals. Nine games is a lot of games. Several bilateral series can be played with 9 games.
“It was about breaking it down: venue, opponent, ideas. We did that really well. The first five games we chased, then next four games we batted first. We know the importance of this week but we don’t have to do anything different. There will be challenges, you have to front up and face them.”
He then summed up what India needs in the semi-final. “The time has now come for us to have some luck as well. We have to be brave and hopefully fortune favours the brave!”
A lovely smile lit up Rohit’s visage.
