India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, gave a witty reply to a journalist’s query on batting flexibility in the press conference on Monday. The Indian opener said that the team does not indulge in any “pagalpanti” (madness) and has a clear plan for each situation.
During the press conference for Asia Cup 2023 squad announcement, Rohit was asked whether the demand of flexibility from players creates confusion.
The Indian skipper then gave a detailed explanation on his statement on demanding flexibility from players and clarified that it doesn’t mean that the team will send out a lower order batter to open the innings.
“I’ll explain it properly because it is important to understand it. When I said that flexibility is important, it doesn’t mean that you send an opener out at No.7, or make Hardik Pandya open the innings. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have only opened for the past 7-8 years. Virat Kohli has only played at No.3. The new boys that come at No.4 and No.5, they have to remain open about whether they bat up or down,” he said.
“Even in the last four or five years the opener bats where he is supposed to bat. No.3 plays only there, KL Rahul comes at No.5, he will only play there. Hardik plays No.6, Jadeja No.7. So if numbers four and five go up or down, there is no problem in that. That much flexibility is important,” the Indian skipper added.
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“I also played in different positions in my early days”
Rohit pointed out that he also played in different positions in his early days and that is the kind of flexibility he is expecting from youngsters.
“You take my positions over the years. We all have had to do that when we were young. That is the kind of flexibility I am talking about. Ye nahi ki ye opener hai isko 8 number pe bhej do aur 8 number wale ko upar kara do. Ye paagalpanti nai karte hum. (It doesn’t mean that you send an opener to bat at No.8 and a No.8 is promoted to the top of the order. We don’t do these kinds of madness),” he said.
Team India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against arch-rival Pakistan on September 2. Before that, the squad will assemble in Bangalore for a 6-day camp starting on August 24.
Team India squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Md Shami, Md Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (Backup)
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