Rohit Sharma is keen and excited to be part of India's first day-night Test, with India having so far stayed away from the experiment since it was introduced in Adelaide in 2015.
However, Rohit has the experience of facing the pink ball under lights when he participated in the Duleep Trophy final between India Blue and India Red in September, 2016.
“It will be very exciting as for the first time the Test match in India will be played with a pink ball,” he remarked at a promotional event organised by Trusox here.
“Can't say about other boys but I have played one match in my career with a pink ball in the Duleep Trophy. It was a new experience for me at that time. I hope for us also the experience will be good. We have been waiting for it since a while And getting the opportunity to play with it will be exciting. We will try to play at our best and get those 60 points,” he said.
Air quality
That Test will be held in three weeks' time. In Virat Kohli's absence, Rohit will be leading India in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh that begins here on Sunday. The air quality in the national capital was at 'severe' level on Wednesday, but Rohit dismissed any concerns regarding the pollution.
He said, “The last time when we played a Test match here (against Sri Lanka in December, 2017), I didn't face any problem with it. The information we have got till now is that the match will be played on the 3rd [of November]. I don't have any problem. I won't give any advice on pollution problems.”
Read: 'Day-Night Test good move as long as dew isn’t a factor'
He expressed gratitude at the prospect of captaining India for the series. He said thinking about being given a more permanent role was futile. “If someone's made captain — be it for 10 matches or one match or 100 matches — it's a very big honour. When we were little, we used to dream about playing for India. We never thought about captaining the team. But today, I have this opportunity of leading the team. This is a big honour. I have captained the team for some time before; the experience has been very good. I never think, 'I need to be given a stint longer than a series or two.' I can't think about what isn't in my hands. I can't talk about it either. Whenever I get the chance to be captain, I accept it with happiness and try to set an example,” he explained.
'I have to keep moving forward'
Rohit hoped his good form — he hit a purple patch in Test series against South Africa — would continue. “I will keep trying to play at my best. What ever I have done in the past, I just have to keep moving forward and don't want to stop. It is my job in the team to keep playing and perform at my best. There are many series coming up — against Bangladesh, West Indies, and then we are going to New Zealand. We have finished two series now and are looking forward to the Bangladesh series,” he said.
Also read: Steve Smith still on top, Rohit Sharma second
Commenting on his meeting with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, he said, “It was just about selection issues, selecting the team. I've known Dada for so many years. I've played with him also, when I just came into the team. And then on many occasions, he was president of [the Cricket Association of Bengal]. We met also while playing [the IPL]. It was a great time to catch up with him, to congratulate him about this wonderful opportunity, and then discuss about the selection issues, that's all.”
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