India will not be locking horns with Pakistan in their opening encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium on October 23, Sunday. However, the rain gods are expected to play a spoilsport as there has been heavy rainfall for the last few days. According to the local Met department, there is a prediction of an 80 to 90 percent chance of rainfall. There is also a prediction of a thunderstorm, which is, however, a lowly 13 percent.
When asked about the weather and the chance of a rain-curtailed game during the press conference ahead of the Pakistan game, the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma said, “Upar waale ke haath mai hai ki kal kya hoga, in terms of the weather. It is more competitive when there are all 40 overs. But we have to prepare ourselves for whatever happens.”
On Friday evening, there was a sharp spell of the shower in Melbourne, however, the locals, who have a fair idea about a change of weather, are confident that even if the heavens open up, there could still be a curtailed match. Talking about the comeback of Mohammed Shami, Rohit said that the team is happy to have him back.
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Rohit Sharma explained, “His body was something we wanted to look at. We wanted him to recover. We wanted to give him full four overs in the warm-up game but that didn’t quite happen. He looked quite ready in his preparation. It’s just about executing now and doing what Shami does.”
On Saturday, the ICC shared a video of India’s net session in which Indian skipper Rohit can be seen batting alongside Dinesh Karthik. The Indian skipper can be heard saying, “Arey ye to danger bowler hai bhai. Sabse danger (This is a dangerous bowler, most dangerous).
Rohit Sharma mic'd up 🎙️
All ears on the captain during India's practice session ahead of their first #T20WorldCup match.
— ICC (@ICC) October 22, 2022
When asked how important was the special camp ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, as usually India comes to big events like this just after playing IPL or a bilateral series.
Rohit Sharma said, “This was a conscious decision from the BCCI and team management after the last tournament. We knew where the World Cup was happening, so we wanted to come here (early) and get used to the conditions. A lot of the guys in the team had not played before in Australia. That was a key decision. Getting acclimatized to the time zone. I thought the way we prepared in Perth, we were lucky enough to get that time.”
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During the press conference, Rohit said, “We have not won any ICC trophy since 2013. There are high expectations from the team. This World Cup has given us a chance, we can change this history. He also praised Pakistan’s bowling and said, “We know that their (Pakistan team) bowling is very good. Our batsmen are very experienced. This turns out to be a good situation for the competition and especially the spectators. For us both batting and bowling will be important. We should not forget the fielding also.”
