India captain Rohit Sharma Crunch games talked about his low numbers of numbers, but won’t be applauded if he or any other player is defined by failure in a knockout game.
India will face England on Thursday in the second semi-final match of the T20 World Cup.
He scored only 29 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20 final and 34 against Australia in the 2015 ODI World Cup semi-final.
He scored 43 against West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final and could not even open his account against Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy title clash.
Rohit’s contribution in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final against New Zealand was just 1.
Rohit Sharma’s performance in last five matches:
- IND vs ZIM – 15 runs
- IND vs BAN – 2 runs
- India vs South Africa – 15 runs
- India vs NED – 53 runs
- India vs Pakistan – 4 runs
When asked whether such poor performances in crucial matches bother him, Rohit was not happy.
“Not only me, but all the players, what he has done throughout his career, a knockout game doesn’t define him,” Rohit said.
“All year long you work so hard to do a good job wherever you want and in whatever format you want to play. So that one particular sport doesn’t decide that,” he insisted.
Rohit has no problem in the present but is reminded not to forget the past.
“It’s important to understand that knockout games are important and if you do well it gives you immense confidence. But we don’t forget what has happened in the past, what players have done in the past.
“With all the performances he has produced for the team over the years, a game cannot dictate that (narrative),” Rohit said.
Small side boundaries are a challenge
The short boundary at the Adelaide Oval, barely 60 metres, is definitely a big challenge.
“It’s one of the challenges we face in this tournament. For example, in Dubai last year, the dimension of the field didn’t change much. We know one side was bigger, but other than that, not much. Things Changed.
“But when we play here in Australia, obviously some grounds have longer, straighter borders, some grounds are shorter on the sides. So you’ve got to adjust to it as quickly as possible. “
Rohit Sharma on Suryakumar Yadav:
When asked about Suryakumar Yadav’s fearless approach, Rohit expressed:
“Maybe that’s his nature. I think he (Surya) is the kind of guy who doesn’t carry any luggage with him. No, not his suitcase (laughter). He has too many suitcases, to be honest. Love your shopping.
“But when it comes to carrying extra pressure, extra baggage, I don’t think he has that. You can see that when he plays. It’s not like he’s played a few tournaments like this. Been playing that way. For a year now, and it shows, and you can judge the kind of character, and what he likes to play that way.”
In fact, Rohit gave a good insight into Suriya’s mindset.
“Surya loves playing on big grounds. He hates playing on small grounds. As he once told me, he doesn’t like small boundaries and small grounds. He can’t see the gap. I believe That’s what he likes to see in big gaps, and that’s where his strength lies.”
(Inputs from PTI)