Key takeaways from Rohit Sharma's press conference ahead of India vs New Zealand ODI World Cup semi-final

Team India will take on New Zealand in the first semi-final of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, November 15. The Men in Blue will look to avenge their heartbreaking loss to the Black Caps in the previous edition. India were the first team to qualify for the knockout stage by winning all their group matches. New Zealand, on the other hand, have had an inconsistent run so far, making them the last team to qualify. 

Advertisment

Ahead of the crucial encounter at the historic venue, captain Rohit Sharma attended a press conference where he discussed several things including India's sixth bowling option. Rohit started off by wishing everyone a Happy Diwali and praised the team for handling the pressure of the World Cup. 

"Happy Diwali everyone. From first game till the last, whenever you are playing a World Cup game, you'll have pressure. But the way we have handled pressure is commendable. We want to continue. In India, you'll always have pressure. We want to focus on our game rather than listening to outside noise." 

Asked about the atmosphere in the Indian camp, the 36-year-old said: "It is a conscious effort. We wanted to build it and it cannot be done with one or two players. Everyone including the support staff has contributed to it. We even did a secret fashion show. , which fortunately no one knows about. Our atmosphere has been very good from the beginning. We have done everything to keep the team environment easy."

Advertisment

'It's good to have options but...' - Rohit on India's sixth bowling option

Hardik Pandya's injury was a major headache for Team India. The star all-rounder was ruled out of the World Cup after injuring his ankle during a clash against Bangladesh. India's sixth bowling option suffered a major setback but Mohammed Shami rose to the occasion and Suryakumar Yadav also contributed his share.

"As soon as Hardik got injured, our combination changed. Ever since game number one, we wanted to use others to bowl as well. It's good to have options but I hope we will not have the situation to use it," Rohit said. 

Advertisment

Regarding the New Zealand team, the veteran opener said, "Whenever we have played against New Zealand, this is probably the most disciplined team. They play their cricket very intelligently. They understand the mentality of their opponents and so do we. They are the most disciplined team in 2015. Since then, they have been playing semi-finals and finals continuously. We understand what their strengths are and what their game is like."

Rohit also spoke about his captaincy and backing certain players to bring the best out of them. He praised head coach Rahul Dravid for giving individual roles to all the players, something he would like to continue in the future.

"I don't have a mantra. As a captain, if you have decided this is how you want to play then you must have clarity. You have to back the players to the hilt. We have backed certain players whom we have given certain roles. We'll back players and stand with them. We have to give credit to Rahul Dravid for buying into that thought and not shuffle much when it doesn't come off. We'll continue to do that in future as well. Role clarity and giving guys the freedom. One moment was when all four of us bowled and crowd enjoyed the moment.