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After securing a 3-0 home T20I series win against Afghanistan, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the player roles in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup 2024. He backed Virat Kohli and Sanju Samson’s intent despite both players getting out for golden ducks while trying to force the initiative in the third and final T20I of the series.
Rohit Sharma made his return to the T20I format for India in more than a year against Afghanistan, just like Virat Kohli, to play the T20 World Cup 2024 in the United States of America and the Caribbean in the summer. The 36-year-old was dismissed for two consecutive ducks in the first two T20Is against the Afghans, but he made amends in the third and final match with a scintillating hundred, his fifth in the shortest format.
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Although India needed to play two super overs to get the better of Afghanistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, January 17, it was a fruitful series for the hosts in terms of establishing younger talents in the T20I squad. After the pulsating contest, Rohit Sharma spoke to the host broadcaster JioCinema about the intent of the batters with an eye toward the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, signalling out the tough outing for Virat Kohli and Sanju Samson as an example.
The Indian captain remarked, “Virat pehli ball par (out hue), usually khelte nahi hai aise, but unhone acha intent dikhaya. Sanju Samson bhi pehli ball par out hue but T20 cricket khel rahe ho toh aapko out hone ka darr nahi hona chahiye (Virat (got out) on the first ball, he doesn’t usually play this way but he showed good intent. Sanju Samson also got out on the first ball but when you are playing T20 cricket, you shouldn’t have the fear of getting out).”
Watch Rohit backs Virat and Sanju in T20Is:
“Jo team ka role hai, har ek individual ka, wo kafi hadd tak aap nibhane ki koshish karoge toh team ka kaam ho jaata hai (It’s about the role of the team for every individual if you are going to try and fulfill it to the best of your ability than the team benefits from it),” Rohit Sharma added.
Notably, the next match for India in the T20I format will happen on June 5, at the T20 World Cup 2024, against Ireland at the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. The next assignment for Indian players in the shortest format of the game before the coveted international tournament will be at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
