Rohit_Sharma

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India’s star cricketer Rohit Sharma addressed the media through a virtual press conference ahead of the highly-anticipated Pink-ball Test against England, starting on Wednesday. He opened up on the criticism of Chennai pitch, World Test Championship finals and various other things ahead of the third Test.

We like to work as a group: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma talked about the importance of having a leadership group in the Indian side. He revealed that they always work as a group and there are no individual plans.

Reflecting on his role as a senior member, the 33-year-old said, “I often stand in the slips. I read the game from behind and it is important for me to pass on that information as to what the batter is trying to do in the middle."

Rohit admitted that the success Team India has enjoyed in recent past has a lot to do with how the team members communicate with each other on the field.

The centurion in Chennai reflects on the criticism of pitch

Rohit, who smashed a fantastic hundred (161 off 231) in the first innings at Chepauk, said that the pitch was same for both the teams and there is no point debating over it. He added, “Pitches in India have remained the same over the years. Nothing has changed or should be changed according to me.”

The opening batsman opined that every team uses their home advantage and India are within their rights to do the same. He went on to say that if there is an issue, ICC should step in and make a rule regarding the state of pitches everywhere in the world.

Rohit believes that there should not be so much talk about the pitches. He believes that the focus should instead be on the game and the players involved.

The 33-year-old has been really impressed with the newly-constructed Motera stadium. He said that the facilities at the stadium are pretty good. Rohit added that he is excited about the prospect of having fans in that stadium enjoying the Pink-ball Test.

Commenting on the pitch at Motera, he said, “It’s still early days to talk about the pitch. I don’t see anything changing in the pitch than what we played in the second Test match. It’s going to be turning as well.”

India is currently focused only on the England series: Rohit on WTC Finals

Rohit admitted that the team wants to qualify for the World Test Championship finals but they are currently focused only on the Test series against England. He said, “We still need to do a lot of things right to get there.”

The swashbuckling batsman said that the team prefers to take it one step at a time. He revealed that when India play, the focus is only on how to win that game. The senior-player added that the individuals know what they need to do to get the team in a top position.

The 33-year-old opens up on the challenging last few months

India’s white-ball vice-captain admitted that the last 4-5 months have been really challenging for him. He revealed that he went straight to NCA after returning from IPL and spent a month working on his fitness.

Rohit added that he was lucky to get a room with fitness equipment during his 14-day quarantine in Australia. Reflecting on his experience of getting back on field, he said, “It was a good journey, with a lot of learnings to take from that journey.” He concluded by saying that he was delighted to be a part of the team that created history in Brisbane.

The third Test between India and England will begin on February 24th. The four-match series is currently levelled at 1-1.