Men in Blue are in high spirits after a dominating performance against Afghanistan, propelling the team to their back-to-back wins in the ongoing ODI World Cup. Rohit Sharma displayed a masterclass in batting with a stellar 131 runs off 84 balls riding on 16 fours and five sixes to help India overhaul Afghanistan's 273-run target with 15 overs and eight wickets to spare at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 12.
Rohit, who has his eyes on bigger goal, during the post-match presentation said. "(It) was a good win for us, very important to get that momentum at the start of the tournament," he commented, highlighting the importance of setting the tone for upcoming matches.
With the much-anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on the horizon, Rohit urged his Indian teammates to not worry about external factors.
"For us it is crucial that we don't worry about external factors and just look at things we can control. We just need to show up and do well," Rohit said.
Keeping the team's strategy laser-focused, Sharma added, "Things like what the pitch is like, what combo we can play is what we can control. What happens outside we won't be worried about it. It is just about focusing on what we can do as players and how we can perform."
Reflecting on India's journey in the World Cup so far, Sharma highlighted the team's adaptability and resilience, particularly in their opener against Australia. Despite an early batting hiccup, where the team teetered at a precarious 5/3, India emerged victorious against the Aussies by six wickets. Sharma attributes this to the team's ability to manage pressure on the field. "We have got guys who can play fearless cricket with the bat and guys who can absorb like the last game. It is about absorbing pressure and taking the right decision on the field," he remarked.
Further underlining the versatility of the Indian squad, Sharma concluded, “We have got players with different skill sets in our team. They bring different attributes of the game to the team and it puts you in good positions as a team when you have that.”
Rohit is leading Team India in the ODI World Cup for the first time as a skipper and will look to bring the trophy home, ending India's 10-year-long drought of ICC trophy.
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