India lost a one-day series against Sri Lanka after 27 years. If there was no tie in the first match, Rohit Sharma’s team would have returned with the shame of Chunkam. Rohit Sharma called for a change in the team before the Champions Trophy. Said, specialist cricketers may be selected to counter spin.
Rohit said after the third ODI loss against Sri Lanka, “No one lacks effort in terms of playing different shots or playing the way they want to play. But I have seen some people play reverse sweep or paddle, which is not their normal batting. Everyone needs to have a clear idea of how to play and take control of the match when they come to bat on a hard pitch. We have failed to do that three times in the series.”
Not stopping here, Rohit also said, “The way we want to play should be clearly communicated to the cricketers. Unfortunately for him, if other cricketers have to be chosen, then that will be done. We want cricketers who can play in all kinds of situations.”
According to Rohit, his team lost because the cricketers were not brave enough. In the words of the Indian captain, “Courage does not mean that those in the team are not brave. But you have to be brave consistently. On hard pitches, where the bowlers play quite hard, you have to have the courage to play different types of shots. It is very important to have a plan.”
Rohit further explained in this context, “Everyone should understand that this is their plan and this is how they want to play. If the plan matches the pitch, then it is fine. If not, you have to find an alternative yourself. The scoreboard should be kept active in retail. I think batting on slower pitches is the primary lesson.”
