Prior to their first international match in Australia tour, Indian limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma spoke about himself and also hope the best for the Indian cricket team in this tour which will give them enough confidence before the next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup.
The 31-year-old right-handed batsman Rohit Sharma claimed that he enjoys playing in Australia, who had come to play for the first time in the 2007/08 season.
On Wednesday, Rohit said, “I have always enjoyed coming here, it is a great place to play cricket, your performances are always appreciated and when you are not performing…you know that is appreciated too.
“The first time I came here was in 2007, had a good time, so I have done well in limited overs cricket. The bounce sometimes when you play in places like Brisbane, Perth – the good bounce allows me to play my game because I have grown up playing on cement pitches back home.”
While the Indian skipper Virat Kohli is in the lethal batting form, Rohit is also in the top-batting form in the limited-overs cricket. His recent limited-overs performances have helped him to return to the Test squad and that’s too in this Australia tour.
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Talking about his expectations from this tour, the second-ranked ODI batsman Rohit Sharma said he just try to keep it simple and he is not looking too far.
The 31-year-old said, “I am a person who does not think too far ahead. I just try to keep it simple, try and go out there and enjoy my game. If I do so I get success and I am going to try and do the same on Wednesday. I am not thinking about anything else but to go out there and put up a performance which my team expects me to do. Their bowling attack will challenge me on a pitch like that so I have to be prepared for it. We will approach this the same way that we have approached any limited-overs game that we have played here.”
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India is going to begin this tour with the three-match T20I series, starting on November 21. Last time, when India tour in Australia in 2015/16, India had won the three-match T20I series by completing a whitewash (won by the 3-0 margin).
Rohit has a high hope in this Australia tour as he claimed, “If I look at the limited-overs leg the last time we were here, especially talking about the T20s, we did pretty well here we won 3-0. Yes, it is challenging for all our batsmen when we come here, but again most of the guys have come to Australia before, so they understand the conditions.”
The first T20I will be played at The Gabba (Brisbane) on this Wednesday (November 21). Rohit feels it is probably the fastest pitch in Australia at present and it will put a tough challenge for them but they are ready to face it.
Rohit said on this matter, “Of course, their bowling attack will challenge us whichever format we play. Brisbane, if I may say so is probably the fastest pitch in Australia. I have not played in Perth, the new stadium, but Brisbane whenever we have played here it has always challenged us as a batting unit.
“So, we are ready to accept that and this time around we want to change our fortunes and come out with some exceptional performances. It is not going to be easy, we understand that, but we have quality in our group.”
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Admitting the fact that Australia is always a dangerous side on their home venues, Rohit is hopeful on his team to do well in this tour.
Rohit added, “See, Australia in Australia will always be dangerous without a doubt, so we have to be prepared for it. Right now all we are thinking is how we can improve our team and how we can perform as a unit because that will be important.
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“Whenever we travel outside India there is always a special feeling and especially in Australia, this is one place that we want to leave our mark and do well as a unit.
“There is a really good feeling inside the group. The motive of the team is to just try and seize all the moments and try and win tournaments. When you do well in a country like Australia, you do feel good as a team and thinking about the World Cup ahead it can only give you confidence winning in Australia.”
