ODI captaincy a different ball game, says Rohit Sharma

This might be Rohit Sharma's debut series as captain, but the 30-year-old is ready for the role having led Mumbai Indians to three Indian Premier League (IPL) titles.

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Captaincy in IPL and international cricket may not be the same but Rohit is not perturbed. “It will be a completely different ball game all together but the process and basics of captaincy remain the same. We have different set of players than the IPL team but having played with them for some time now, I do understand their strengths and weaknesses. I don't need to change anything. I just need to carry from where we left as a team. I will make changes when necessary.”

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Rohit, however, pleaded for consistent support to the players. "It is important to give these guys fair amount of games before they prove themselves.  Shreyas (Iyer), Manish (Pandey), Kedar (Jadhav) and Dinesh (Karthik) haven't got enough games on the trot and as a team management we want to make sure that they get 'N' number of games continuously.”

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On youngsters like Washington Sundar, Basil Thampi and Deepak Hooda making it to the Indian squad, Rohit noted, “It is important that we as team management give the newcomers all the respect and support. I remember when I came into the team it was all that is required. They have played enough and I don’t want to put any extra pressure on them. It will be all about living in the moment, living the dream of playing for India. Because not many people get the opportunity to play for India,” he said.