Little more than a month ago, when the five-match Test series got underway, India captain Rohit Sharma obviously couldn’t have predicted the outcome. For him, it was about knowing the strength of his team and gauging the strengths and weaknesses of the England players.
The defeat in the opening Test in Hyderabad did make life difficult for the home team and its captain, but then, Rohit made sure that he got the best out of his boys and turned things around. Despite the absence of Virat Kohli and quite a few injury issues in the team, a bunch of youngsters not only dared to rip apart Bazball, but notched up a convincing series win.
So, when Rohit refers to it as a ‘series of comebacks’ for his team, it certainly does not come as an exaggeration. This, indeed, has been India’s way of showing supremacy.
“Basically, it has been a series of comebacks and we made good comebacks in the series. If we were behind on Day 2, we came back well on Day 3. We have come back from being down in one session to dominating the next. So, throughout the series you must have seen that we have absorbed pressure and put it back on the opposition,” Rohit said on Wednesday, on the eve of the final Test.
“This has been satisfying, especially with a group of boys, who have not been under such pressure. International cricket pressure is different and Test cricket is totally different. A lot of players have handled the pressure well and stabilised the team and put it ahead. Last Test was a perfect example if you see from Day one to four, you will get many examples of our good comebacks…” the India captain said.
Ever since taking charge as India’s red-ball captain in January 2022, Rohit has stressed immensely on the role of clarity for his players and assessing the moments. Things were no different leading up to the England series.
“Ahead of any series, I have always tried to understand both the teams and plan accordingly. I have multiple duties. Firstly, I am a batter. And, if I get out, I need to plan who to promote up the order, and then on the field, it’s about gauging the wicket according to our bowling strength,” Rohit said, before adding with a smile: “I didn’t study much in school but I do study the opposition a lot while playing cricket. It’s important since teams approach things differently.
“So, I enjoy that process of learning as batter and captain. I don’t think who’s injured or who’s unavailable, so I need to plan accordingly and keep a good environment. We have been very relaxed as a team even when they have put us under pressure in the series….”
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Despite losing the opening Test, the Indian team looked at ease and eventually bounced back and a relaxed team environment has done the trick. “We have realised that you won’t get results in two or three balls and we showed patience. We have found a way to come back. That’s something all of us understand,” he said.
And throughout the series, both seniors and the youngsters stepped up to the occasion and proved their mettle and that was one of the reasons why India could dent Bazball’s success story. “I honestly don’t know what Bazball means - whether it is to go and strike, whether it’s to defend or wait for a loose ball. I haven’t seen wild swings from anyone. England have played better cricket than the last series that they played here. You got to give credit to their batters who got big hundreds here. They applied their methods to get success and they got it,” Rohit said, adding: “I still don’t know what that (Bazball) means…”
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