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Team India skipper Rohit Sharma responded to criticism surrounding the team's aggressive approach against Bangladesh, suggesting that the criticism would have been more severe if the result had not been in their favor. India's dominance over Bangladesh in the second Test at Kanpur was evident. Despite the match being affected by rain and bad light, India's aggressive tactics ultimately led to a comfortable victory.
Rohit Sharma's Indian team had a different plan in mind, as they swiftly bowled out Bangladesh for 233 on day 4 and then adopted an aggressive batting approach. India's dominant batting display resulted in a world record for the fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 runs in Test cricket. They declared their innings at 285/9 in 34.4 overs, forcing Bangladesh to bat again.
India dismissed two Bangladesh batters on the fourth day and completed their victory on the fifth day by bowling out Bangladesh for 146. This set a target of 95 runs for India, which they chased down with ease, losing only three wickets.
I think for me, aggression is all about your actions: Rohit Sharma
Rohit shared his perspective on the concept of aggression in a video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"I think for me, aggression is all about your actions. It's not about my reactions. The kind of batting we do, the kind of field positioning we do, the kind of bowling we do, that to me is aggression," Rohit said.
Hitman dismissed the notion that his leadership alone was responsible for India's success. He emphasized the crucial contributions of the other ten players and the support staff, stating that without their collective efforts, the victory would not have been possible.
"Look, I think without the help of the other 10 players and obviously people who are sitting in the dressing room as well, this wouldn't have been possible. When we had lost 2 days, 2 and a half days actually, it's very easy for everyone to just drift away from the goal that we had of winning this Test match.
"But I thought when we came here on the 4th day of the morning, first things first, they were batting and we needed to get them out. We needed 7 wickets quickly, so I thought everything started there. You know, the bowlers came to the party first. They got the wickets that we needed and then when we came inside, we had to take a little bit of risk to get a result."
India's aggressive approach in the match against Bangladesh carried the risk of the game swinging in favor of their opponents, who had recently defeated Pakistan. Rohit Sharma was fully cognizant of this risk but believed that India's aggressive tactics were necessary to force a result. The Indian captain also addressed potential criticism, suggesting that critics would have been more vocal if the team's strategy had not yielded the desired outcome.
"I know the result could have gone either way, but I was okay with it. So was the coach and the other players as well because you have to be brave enough to take those decisions and go and play that way. When things fall in place, everything looks good andnthat is where it can change quickly when things don't fall in place," Rohit Sharma said.
"Everybody would have started criticising the decision that we took and all of that. But what matters is what we think inside this changing room and that is what mattered and that is what we went with in this game. It was a clear plan that we want the result, how we can get the result. Everybody started finding answers for that. I think it was an exceptional series," Rohit Sharma added.
India currently leads the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 standings with a PCT of 74.2 after 11 matches, putting them in a strong position to qualify for their third consecutive final. Australia and Sri Lanka follow closely behind with PCTs of 62.50 and 55.56, respectively. Rohit Sharma's brigade will have the opportunity to further solidify their position by securing a 3-0 sweep against New Zealand in their upcoming three-match Test series beginning on October 16. This victory would virtually guarantee India's place in the WTC final. Following this home season, India will face their toughest challenge in the form of Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series Down Under in December. This series will be India's final opportunity to earn points in the current WTC cycle.
