IND vs WI LIVE: Rohit Sharma plays BIG BROTHER to Virat Kohli: India white-ball captain Rohit Sharma is playing the role of a big brother to Virat Kohli amid lean patch. He has once again given a big thumbs up and stepped up for him during the most difficult times. He said that the veteran knows how to handle the scenario ahead of The T20Is. Follow India vs West Indies LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
The special message shows the camaraderie & friendship between the two experienced players and the bond they share on and off the field. The reaction shows that Rohit Sharma is leading from the front for Team India heading into the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
IND vs WI LIVE: Rohit Sharma plays BIG BROTHER to Virat Kohli, says ‘LEAVE him alone for sometime, he will be fine’
“I think it will start with you guys (media). If you guys can keep quiet for a while, then Virat Kohli will be fine and everything will be taken care of. He is in a great mental space, and he has been part of international cricket for more than a decade, when someone has spent such a long time in international cricket, they know to handle pressure situations. I think it all starts from you guys, if you can keep it quiet for a bit, everything will fall in place,” said Rohit during a virtual press conference on Tuesday.
- In the ODI series against West Indies, Virat Kohli recorded scores of 8, 18, and 0.
- Virat Kohli spent over 45 minutes at nets in last training session. Virat Kohli will be looking to contribute in upcoming T20Is.
- He is just 73 runs away from becoming the top run-getter in the shortest format.
- He loves playing against WI and has scored 501 runs in 11 matches at an average of 62+ which comprises 5 fifties.
- Unlike ODIs, Kohli has been at his very best in T20Is. He managed to score 299 runs in 8 innings during the last calendar year at a promising average of 74.75.
Rohit Sharma had earlier backed Kohli after the ODI series despite a string of low scores against West Indies.
“Does Virat Kohli need confidence? What are you talking about? (chuckles) I think not scoring 100 is a different thing but he played a series in South Africa and scored two half-centuries in three matches. I don’t see anything wrong. And the team management is not at all worried about that,” he had earlier said after the ODI series.
IND vs WI LIVE: Rohit Sharma plays BIG BROTHER to Virat Kohli, says ‘LEAVE him alone for sometime, he will be fine’
- After IPL 2022 auction, the focus shifts to Team India, the focus is on national duty. All players are professional and know their duties.- Rohit Sharma on T20 series
- Whatever it takes, we are trying to fill the gap – Rohit Sharma on experimenting in the squad. He wants to give assurance to players.
- We need to get backups ready with a packed schedule heading into the T20 WC– Rohit Sharma on injury crisis.
- We have to talked to players about roles required to play in the T20 WC, clarity is given- Rohit Sharma on specific roles about players
- Kuldeep Yadav & Yuzvendra Chahal are great assets in the past. It starts with us giving them confidence and game time, full support from Team. At the same time, there are so many options. In the shortest format, we also look for players with batting abilities. Their role is to get wickets in the middle order. The duo & slowly go back into the rhythm. Kuldeep Yadav, in particular needs some time. I hope both come good for us. – Rohit Sharma on KulCha
- There is so much dew, after 6 to 7 O’clock, a lot of dew comes into play. We have spoken about the dew factor- Rohit Sharma on the conditions at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
- I am following specific programs. I want to stay injury free. Injuries are bound to happen. You got to do whatever you can to prevent the injuries. It’s important to stay injury free. – Rohit Sharma on his FITNESS
IND vs WI LIVE: Rohit Sharma plays BIG BROTHER to Virat Kohli, says ‘LEAVE him alone for sometime, he will be fine’
Replying to a query on whether the Men in Blue would look to give games to everyone in the squad, Rohit said: “Yeah, the idea is to identify the players who are going to play the World Cup, try and give them game time. There are a lot of players who are injured, come the World Cup, I do not know who is going to be fit, so we just have to get everyone ready for any situation.
“We have a very packed schedule and injuries are bound to happen, it is important that we give guys who are going to fill those roles, enough gametime. It is important that we use this series and the next series that will follow after this, to our good potential and see whoever are likely to have, what they can offer us,” he added.
Talking about Hardik Pandya, who is not a part of the squad for the West Indies series, the white-ball skipper said:
“Hardik Pandya is an important player, he brings three skills to the table. We have not had a discussion on whether he can play as pure batter or not. It is about everyone being available. Since the T20 World Cup, we have had injuries. The important thing is to get everyone available, once they are available, we will look at the second step.”
“The door is open for everyone, we do not make decisions quickly, we want to go with the right combination because, in Australia, you will get different conditions. You will require different skillsets there, we want to prepare accordingly and we want to cover all the bases,” he added.
IND vs WI LIVE: Rohit Sharma plays BIG BROTHER to Virat Kohli, says ‘LEAVE him alone for sometime, he will be fine’
- India lost the services of KL Rahul & Washington Sundar due to injuries.
- Axar Patel’s return was delayed because of his last phase of rehabilitation.
- The likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad and other youngsters are expected to make the most of the opportunities.
- The focus will also be on Venkatesh Iyer who will return to action after the ODI snub.
- The upcoming T20I series marks the first under Rohit Sharma- Rahul Dravid era in the built-up of the 2022 T20I World Cup in Australia later this year.
India’s T20I squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohd. Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav
IND vs WI LIVE: Rohit Sharma plays BIG BROTHER to Virat Kohli, says ‘LEAVE him alone for sometime, he will be fine’
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