Rohit Sharma hopes for his players’ well-being ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023
Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Sharduk Thakur and Mohammed Shami are unavailable for the third ODI vs Australia.
India captain Rohit Sharma was rested for the first two ODIs against Australia and has now returned to lead the side for the final fixture in Rajkot on Wednesday. Also returning to the set-up are Virat Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav. Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel will not feature in the third ODI of the series.
2-0 up in the series, India have outplayed Australia in the first two fixtures and Rohit is hoping all the players remain in good form and health ahead of the World Cup. India still have a couple of days to make that call around Axar, who is yet to recover from the injury he picked up ahead of the Asia Cup final.
“We have time till 28 to finalise the World Cup squad. Keeping my fingers crossed that there is no injury and everyone remains in good form and health,” says Rohit at the pre-match presser in Rajkot.
Rohit said the squad size for the final ODI has gotten reduced to 13 as several payers are back home for personal reasons while a few are hit by viral infection.
“Currently, we have only 13 players to choose from. Gill has been rested. Shami and Hardik have gone home for personal reasons. And Axar is not available too. Also, some of the players have been hit by viral. So, there is a lot of uncertainty in the team at this point in time which we cannot help. But in the next few weeks, it’s very important to look after the players and their well-being. So, it’s good for them to be at home and return afresh for the World Cup,” Rohit said in the presser.
The skipper further praised the brand of cricket played by the Men in Blue in the first two ODIs and was impressed with the all-round show in both Mohali and Indore. For him, the third ODI is an opportunity to continue with a consistent run.
“I wasn’t part of the last two games but we achieved quite a bit. Chased well, batted well and bowled well too. Tomorrow’s game allows us to test in certain areas… whether we can be consistent,” says Rohit.
Not just the Australia series, Rohit is happy with the performances in the last 10 ODIs and how the team has managed to do well in difficult situations and conditions.
“Very happy with the way we played in the last 10 ODIs. Guys scored runs, picked wickets. Players coming from injury also contribute. A lot of positives but need to keep improving as players. We have challenged our team by putting it in difficult situations during the Asia Cup and Australia ODIs. We have achieved quite a bit with regard to preparations,” says Rohit.
‘Ashwin has Class’
Amid the ongoing debate around R Ashwin’s inclusion in the squad for the World Cup, Rohit lauded the experienced offie for his show in the series so far. For Rohit, it’s good to have “backups ready”.
“R Ashwin has got the class, experience of playing the sport and handling pressure. It’s just that he hasn’t played this format in the last one year. In the last two ODIs, we saw how well he bowled. We have a lot of backups ready,” says Rohit.
Ashwin picked one wicket in the series opener and added three more in the Indore game. The skilful bowler used all his tricks in the 2nd ODI and returned with three important wickets.
Focus on the bigger picture
India are one win away from whitewashing Australia in the series but Rohit wants to keep focus on the bigger picture – the World Cup – and playing good cricket.
“There is a bigger goal and picture in mind. Focusing on that will be crucial at the moment, not the whitewash. As players, we want to play good cricket,” says Rohit.
