Captain Rohit Sharma has acknowledged that India is still seeking answers ahead of the ODI World Cup and hopes to find them during the ongoing Asia Cup. India will kick off their Asia Cup campaign on September 2 against arch-rivals Pakistan, but they remain uncertain about their team combination for the ODI World Cup. Despite this, Rohit Sharma believes that calling the Asia Cup a preparatory tournament for the World Cup would be unfair.
“It is a good tournament for us. We played it last year before the World Cup too. It’s a good tournament where your skills, playing under pressure – everything will be tested. I won’t call it a preparatory tournament – it doesn’t sound right. There are a few answers we will be seeking from the tournament. It is the right time for us to play this tournament. The team’s focus is to do well in the Asia Cup,” Rohit Sharma told Sports Journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel.
The possibility of India facing Pakistan three times in the Asia Cup exists if both teams reach the final. While fans would relish such a scenario, Rohit Sharma cautioned against labeling it as a three-match series, emphasizing that any team can win the Asia Cup. He pointed out that Sri Lanka emerged as champions last year by playing quality cricket.
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“It’s good for the fans to say something like this (three-match series against Pakistan). We played against them last time too, but we should not say things like this as other teams are also playing in the tournament. Sri Lanka did well last year and won the Asia Cup. In tournaments like this, any team can win, so you have to be fully prepared. You can’t think we are going to play against one team only; there are five more oppositions we have to think about them also,” he added.
The Asia Cup will also serve as a crucial test for premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who recently made his comeback to competitive cricket during the Ireland tour. Rohit Sharma praised Bumrah’s return and his performances alongside Prasidh Krishna in Ireland.
“Playing after a long time, it was good to see Jasprit Bumrah back on the ground. He is an important part of our team. It felt good he and Prasidh Krishna played two matches on the Ireland tour and bowled well there, which is a good sign for us. They worked hard in the NCA during the rehabilitation period,” Rohit Sharma added.
Rohit Sharma emphasized that while a player like Bumrah is crucial, winning a multi-nation tournament requires a collective effort from the team.
“It would be very unfair for me to just talk about one player because this is a team, and we need contributions from everybody. Yes, there will be important contributions from certain players, but we need to keep an eye on everybody. To win a tournament, you need a collective effort,” he stressed.
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Rohit also refrained from putting undue pressure on Bumrah by setting high expectations.
“I am happy he has returned to competitive cricket after an injury lay-off. It is difficult to stay out of the game for a long duration. I don’t want him to be put under pressure by setting expectations. Pressure and expectations will always be there when you play for India. It is important to focus on the team’s strategy and goal,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
