In a post-match analysis, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma commended his team’s remarkable display of character during a challenging encounter against England. Reflecting on the game, Rohit acknowledged the tough situation they faced early on but highlighted the resilience of the squad.
Facing a testing pitch and England’s relentless bowling attack, India found themselves in a precarious position with early wickets falling. Rohit admitted that losing three wickets early was far from ideal. However, he emphasized the importance of building a substantial partnership under pressure, which the team successfully achieved.
Speaking about his own approach at the crease, Rohit revealed his positive mindset, aiming to capitalize on balls in his hitting zone to maintain pressure on the bowlers and the opposition. Despite a less-than-perfect batting performance, Rohit credited his players for their determination to post a competitive total.
Rohit praised India’s seamers for their exceptional performance with the new ball, capitalizing on the pitch conditions and utilizing their experience to secure crucial breakthroughs. He highlighted the team’s well-balanced bowling attack, featuring skilled spinners and experienced seamers, asserting that it played a pivotal role in their victory.
Expressing confidence in his team’s bowling prowess, Rohit deemed their lineup one of the best in the tournament. He stressed the significance of the batters setting a challenging target, allowing the bowlers to work their magic and defend the total effectively.
This was the game, a lot of character in the squad. When the times were tough, all our experienced players stood up at the right time and got the game for us. Looking at how the tournament has gone for us, batting second in the first five games, we had to come and bat here. We were challenged upfront, they bowled pretty well upfront. For us to get to a total on a pitch that had something in it, we just wanted to get to a total where we could play with it. We were not great with the bat today. Losing three wickets isn’t the ideal situation. When you are in a situation like that, all you are looking to do is create that long partnership, which we got. But couple of guys threw it at the end, including myself. All I was thinking was to be positive, the balls in my area I want to put it away, that’s how you put pressure back on the bowlers and the opposition as well. When you look at the overall picture, I thought we were 30 runs short. (On India’s new ball bowling) It’s not something you see everyday. When you start your innings, you have to somehow try and get a couple of wickets to put the pressure back on the opposition. With the experience that our seamers have now, you can always rely and bank on them to get those crucial breakthroughs. That’s exactly what our seamers did. They exploited the conditions pretty well. There was swing, there was lateral a bit of lateral movement as well. They put the ball in the right areas to create that doubt in the batters’ mind. (Best bowling attack?) I think so. We have a good balance, couple of good spinners, and the seamers have a lot of experience playing in these conditions. There’s a fair bit of options and experience as well. It’s very important that the batters put runs on the board, give them something to work with and then rely on them to do the magic.
About the match – IND vs ENG World Cup 2023 Highlights
In a thrilling face-off against the defending champions, India showcased their prowess in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Lucknow’s packed stadium. Battling challenging conditions on a tricky pitch, the hosts faced early setbacks, losing three of their top four batters with minimal runs on the board.
However, captain Rohit Sharma’s adaptability came to the fore as he crafted a stylish 87, anchoring the innings. A crucial partnership of 91 runs with KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav’s resilient 49 propelled India’s total to 229, offering hope in the face of adversity.
At the halfway mark, England seemed optimistic, capitalizing on the dew-covered pitch to score 30 runs off the initial 27 balls. Yet, a spectacular turn of events awaited them.
India’s bowlers, led by the exceptional Jasprit Bumrah, unleashed their might. Bumrah’s crucial back-to-back wickets set the tone for the comeback, leaving England reeling.
The defining moment arrived with Bumrah’s final delivery to Mark Wood, a lightning-fast yorker that shattered the stumps.
