India vs South Africa, 1st Test: As Team India gears up for the Boxing Day Test match against South Africa at Supersports Park in Centurion, Team India skipper Rohit Sharma addressed a press conference and spoke on the range of issues. Rohit Sharma addressed the questions on how the team is healing from the World Cup loss and the way pitch conditions are going to hold the Indian seamers.
When a reporter asked if the South Africa Test series win could compensate for the World Cup loss, Rohit Sharma just smiled and said, “We are playing in South Africa for many years now and it will be a great achievement if we clinch the series. But, I am not sure that will heal our World Cup wounds or compensate for that loss.”
“The young team players are very excited and they are like Itna mehnat kiya hai, kuch to chahiye yaar abhi (they want something after so much hardwork) and they are right as they have worked really hard in the previous few months.”
South African pitches are known as pacer’s paradise and that makes India’s pacer selection very crucial. With four pacers in the squad, Rohit Sharma gave some clarity on the playing XI dilemma and said that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will definitely play the first Test.
Mukesh Kumar vs Prasidh Krishna
However, he hinted at a potential selection dilemma between Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna for one of the pace bowling slots. The captain emphasized that the majority of the team composition, has been finalized, with the remaining decisions set to be made during the team meeting.
While speaking on the World Cup loss Rohit Sharma said one needs to find a way to move on and shared that he has received a lot of encouragement from the outside world.
“The way we played in the World Cup, you expect to go all the way. We worked hard for the cup. There are certain things we didn’t do well in the final. It is hard after a loss like that. But you have to find a way to move on and look forward. We got a lot of encouragement from the outside world. That motivated me personally. As a batter, I am batting as well as I could. Whatever is in front of me, I’ll look forward to it,” Rohit Sharma was quoted by NDTV.
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Published: 25 Dec 2023, 03:55 PM IST