In the press conference that took place before the tournament in Australia, Rohit stated that India’s efforts on boosting the team’s bench strength will come in handy after losing several players to injury.
Rohit hopes Surya continues to be in his form
“Surya is in good physical shape”, he said. Further, he expressed his wish to reporters on Friday, saying, “I hope he continues to bat in that style, high on confidence.”
“He is a player with a lot of self-assurance. He has no fear on the field and makes effective use of his skill set. I have high hopes that he will become the x-factor”, he asserted.
Jasprit Bumrah: a big miss for the team
The captain claimed that fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the most important players for India in recent times, and his presence will be missed in the World Cup, but he had to be left out of the team in order to save his career.
Injury is inevitable; there’s nothing you can do about it. We consulted with experts, to explore all of our options for getting him to the World Cup. However, he should prioritize his career. We can’t take chances now that he’s between 27 and 28 years old. There’s still a lot of cricket in him.
He stated that the team will miss him (Bumrah). The risk of getting hurt is always present in sports. There isn’t much that can be done. Somebody will inevitably be hurt if they play that many games.
“Our primary goal is to strengthen our bench. That’s why, you’ve seen us giving younger guys a go”, he added.
Rohit and Babar on India vs Pakistan match-
Rohit has stated that no last-minute changes will be made to India’s starting XI for the World Cup’s opening game against Pakistan. He said that the team is ready to play (against Pakistan). He said that this will allow the players to train better.
Babar Azam, his Pakistani opponent, similarly stressed the need of tuning off distractions in advance of the opening match. “It’s always a tough match when you’re playing India. Their fans are also anxiously awaiting it”. On the pitch, we have fun. The team would strive to play good cricket, Babar remarked.
Babar on Pakistan’s middle order-
The opening combinations of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan have been instrumental in Pakistan’s strong play leading up to the World Cup. However, they tend to lose steam and fail to score critically needed runs in the middle overs because of a weak middle order. Babar is hopeful that the middle order is peaking at the right time.
He remarked that the middle order had been performing exceptionally well in the lead-up to the World Cup. Both Nawaz and Shadab have stepped up for us recently, contributing significantly. It’s a promising sign for such a big event.
