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Rohit Sharma was posed with a million dollar question as to what will be India's playing XI for the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia which will be played at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, Sunday.
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Rohit said that the decision hasn't been taken yet as it will be determined after assessing the wicket. However, the 36-year-old hinted that anyone from the 15-member squad can feature in India's playing XI for the final showdown without giving a clear picture.
"We haven't decided on the XI. anyone from the 15 can play. We will assess the wicket and decide on. We have to look at the wicket and then decide and of course the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition," said Rohit.
India haven't tinkered much with their playing XI in the entire tournament, especially after Hardik Pandya's injury which introduced Mohammed Shami into the Men in Blue's fold.
Meanwhile, Rohit was also asked about whether he will consider Ravichandran Ashwin in India's final XI for the World Cup final.
"We haven't decided on it. We will assess the pitch and will see it again tomorrow. Our 12-13 are decided. But we will come and see what is our strength. We will decide tomorrow," he added.
Notably, Ashwin only played the World Cup 2023 opener against Australia in which he snared just one wicket.
Rohit also talked about the pressure around the big match. He clearly stated that he doesn't want to get too excited and allow pressure to get to him.
"Before the start of the World Cup. I had plans to play such kind of cricket. I didn't know whether it will work or not. With little freedom I wanted to express myself. During England game also I changed my approach and that is what senior players do. I changed my tactics. I believe in going there and keeping it easy and calm. It will nice to do as we have work hard for it. I don't want to get excited and have too much pressure on it. It is not just me but also player in the changing room," the star opener stated.
"Leading up to every game, we have been calm and composed about what we want to do. We know what the outside environment is, the expectations and pressure. It's important to stick to our game and this has been happening for a long time. We have worked on maintaining the calmness in the dressing room. Inside what they feel, I don't know, how they'll be feeling. But when in meetings, trainings, everyone is calm. Being an Indian cricketer, you have to deal with pressure," the India captain concluded.
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