NEW DELHI: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma emphasized the importance of exerting pressure on bowlers over achieving individual milestones like centuries and fifties in T20 cricket. This statement came after India’s dominant 50-run win against Bangladesh in their ICC T20 World Cup Super Eights clash on Saturday. Hardik Pandya’s all-round performance and Kuldeep Yadav’s three-wicket haul were pivotal in securing the victory.
“I have been talking about this for a long time now—playing aggressively. It’s about going out there and putting that into practice. Considering everything, we played really well and adapted to the conditions. There’s a bit of a wind factor here, but overall, we were very smart and good with both bat and ball,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation, as quoted by ANI.
Rohit elaborated on the role of all eight batters in the team, stressing the importance of their collective effort in achieving high totals.
“All eight batters need to play their role, whatever it is. We saw one guy get 50 and we got 197. In T20, I do not believe we need to get fifties and hundreds; what matters is the pressure you put on the bowlers. All the batters, from the word go, played like that, and that’s how we want to play as well. There is a lot of experience in the squad, and we back them,” Rohit added.
Speaking specifically about Hardik Pandya’s contribution, Rohit highlighted his significance in the team’s lineup.
“I mentioned in the last game as well, him batting well puts us in a good stead. We want to finish well after the top 5 or 6, and Hardik being Hardik, we know what he is capable of. He is a very important player for us, and if he can keep doing that, it will put us in good positions.”
Rohit’s remarks come at a crucial time as Team India advances in their pursuit of a semifinal spot in the tournament. The squad’s balanced performance with both bat and ball played a key role in their victory over Bangladesh.
