Rohit Sharma identifies huge 'similarity' in India's defeats in ICC tournaments
India's newly-appointed white-ball captain Rohit Sharma pointed out a common factor in India's recent defeats in ICC tournaments.
Rohit Sharma was appointed as the new ODI captain on Wednesday, as he takes over the reins from Virat Kohli in the white-ball format. The Indian opener made a strong start as India's full-time T20I captain last month, defeating New Zealand 3-0 in the home series following the T20 World Cup. He is likely to kickstart the leadership role in ODIs in January, when the side faces South Africa for a three-match series.
Ahead of the side's departure for the tour which also includes three Tests, Rohit Sharma reflected on India's performances in ICC tournaments over the past few years and identified the reasons behind India's defeats in multiple editions. The side, despite a prolific run in the opening phases, had fallen short in the final stages of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 ODI World Cup. In the T20 World Cup earlier this year, India had failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Indian white-ball captain pointed out a common factor in all the losses India endured in the limited-overs tournaments.
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"In the Champions Trophy (2017), 2019 World Cup and even this World Cup as well, it was that initial phase of the game where we lost. That is something I'll keep in mind," Rohit Sharma said on Xtra Time.
"We have to prepare for the worst. We've to prepare for the situation when the team is 10/3. That is how I want to move forward. There is nowhere written that if you're 10/3, you can't get 180 or 190. I want the guys to prepare in that fashion," Rohit said.
Rohit further said that he wants his side to test itself in the games leading up to the 2022 T20 World Cup.
"Let's say you're playing a semi-final, we're 10/2 in the first two overs, what do we do? What is the plan? I want to put ourselves in that situation and see how we respond to that," Rohit said.
"We got some games before the World Cup and try and test ourselves. If you look at it, we see a similarity in all World Cup games that we lost. The 2 Pakistan games and the one New Zealand game in the three ICC tournaments.
"But that can happen. I understand that the quality of bowling is exceptional. It has happened three times, I hope it doesn't happen for the fourth time. We will hopefully keep preparing for that," said Rohit.
