Team India captain Rohit Sharma has admitted that he was not happy with the way he got out in the Dominica Test. He, however, added that he has put the dismissal behind him and he is looking forward to starting afresh in the second Test in Trinidad as well. However, Rohit and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal (171) stitched 229 runs for the opening wicket in the first Test in Dominica. Rohit scored a hard-fought 103 off 221 balls but he was dismissed soon after the hundred.
Reflecting on his dismissal at a press conference before the second Test, Rohit said: “Whenever you get out, you are disappointed. I was quite disappointed with my dismissal in the last Test because I was batting well. My concentration was good for a long period. It was a good opportunity to notch up a big score. I regretted it at that point, but my focus is now on what I can change going ahead.”
However, the second Test, which will be played at Port of Spain on Thursday, July 20, will be a historic one as it will be the 100th Test match between India and West Indies. Admitting that it would be a huge occasion, Rohit Sharma commented:
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“Obviously, there has been so much history between the two teams. It has been happening even before I was born, so that shows the long history. Both teams have played good cricket and have entertained people. I hope this Test match is also like that. Such kind of games don’t happen every day. I am fortunate, so is our team, to be playing this game. I am pretty sure the team [West Indies] is going to bounce back. It’s going to be exciting for both the countries.”
However, West Indies’ downfall as a cricketing nation has become the talk of the nation in recent times after they failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup. When he was asked about this, Rohit replied that since he doesn’t know the inside details, it wouldn’t be right to comment as well.
“As a fan, all I can say is, as long as I don’t know the inside story, I cannot give an opinion on what the problem is. Having played against the West Indian team, what I can say is that they have good players and there is quite a lot of talent. In fact, in the first Test, if their spinners were available, they could have posed a threat, because there was lot of spin and bounce on the surface,” he said.
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However, he also shared that they are not sure of their combination yet due to weather conditions. Notably, after the Test series, India will play against West Indies in three ODIs and five T20Is.
“At Dominica, we were clear about the conditions, but here we don’t have much clarity. There is a lot of talk about rain as well. I don’t think there will be any drastic changes. We’ll make a decision keeping conditions in mind,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
