India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, openly acknowledged that his team hasn’t yet showcased their best performance in the ongoing Asia Cup and emphasized the need for improvement as they entered the ‘Super 4’ stage of the competition with a win over Nepal on Monday.
India’s opening game against rivals Pakistan was abandoned due to inclement weather. Against Nepal, India secured a comprehensive 10-wicket victory (DLS method) in another rain-affected match, ensuring their place in the ‘Super 4’ stage. Rohit Sharma spoke at the post-match presentation, saying, “We haven’t been at our best, but a few guys are coming out after months out of the game. Once we move ahead in the Super 4s, there’s no room for complacency.”
Rohit Sharma himself played a pivotal role in the victory, scoring an unbeaten 74 runs alongside his opening partner, Shubman Gill, who contributed 67 runs not out. They comfortably chased a revised target of 145 in 23 overs.
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Speaking about his innings, Rohit Sharma mentioned, “To start with, there were some nerves, but once I got my eye in, I wanted to cash in and get my team home.” He also commented on a flick-sweep shot that resulted in a six, saying, “My intention was simply to chip it over the short fine leg; there was no deliberate effort to clear deep backward square leg. However, the modern cricket bats are incredibly effective.”
On the topic of India’s World Cup squad, which was set to be announced shortly after the Asia Cup, Rohit Sharma stated, “As we arrived here, we already had a clear idea of what our World Cup squad of 15 would resemble, with perhaps just one or two positions still up for consideration.”
Shubman Gill, who had been disappointed with his performance against Pakistan, expressed satisfaction with his knock against Nepal. He mentioned their complementary batting styles with Rohit Sharma and praised Nepal’s bowling early in the game.
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Nepal’s skipper, Rohit Paudel, reflected on their performance, stating they were 30-40 runs short of a competitive total. He praised their openers and lower-order batsmen but acknowledged that the middle order could have performed better. Nepal felt the conditions and dew made it challenging but praised their bowlers for their effort.
Overall, India’s victory against Nepal secured their spot in the ‘Super 4’ stage of the Asia Cup, where they aimed to showcase their best cricket as the tournament progressed.
