Indian skipper Rohit Sharma credited head coach Rahul Dravid for supporting the players regardless of their performance and providing them with role clarity to get the best out of everyone in the marquee events and wants to be more consistent in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Rohit Sharma-led side has achieved a perfect nine out of nine wins in the ICC World Cup round-robin round, advancing the Rahul Dravid-coached side to the knockout stage of the marquee event. They will face New Zealand on their way to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Speaking to the media ahead of the semifinal game, Rohit Sharma admitted that New Zealand is one of the most disciplined sides in the marquee event and feels that they have been very consistent in qualifying for the semifinals and finals of the ICC tournaments.
“New Zealand is probably the most disciplined team. They play smart cricket, they understand the opposition very well. They understand the mentality of the opposition. They have been very consistent playing semis and finals of all ICC tournaments,” Rohit Sharma said.
The squad led by Rohit Sharma has dominated the biggest competition played at the home conditions. The Men in Blue may have a nervous matchup with New Zealand in the semifinals despite their undefeated league campaign, particularly considering that the Kiwis defeated them at this exact moment four years prior.
We Have To Give Credit To Rahul Dravid For Buying Into The Thought – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma commended head coach Rahul Dravid for his unwavering support of Indian players who were coming back to the team after lengthy injury layoffs for the World Cup, which helped the team in a big time. He was also praised for allowing the players to express themselves freely on such a momentous occasion.
“I don’t have a mantra. As a captain, if you have decided this is how you want to play then you must have clarity. You have to back the players to the hilt. We have backed certain players whom we have given certain roles. We’ll back players and stand with them”.
“We have to give credit to Rahul Dravid for buying into that thought and not shuffle much when it doesn’t come off. We’ll continue to do that in the future as well. Role clarity and giving guys the freedom. One moment was when all four of us bowled and the crowd enjoyed the moment,” Rohit Sharma added.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer made their ODI comebacks in the build-up to the ICC competition before going on to become the backbone of India’s middle order in the World Cup, and they were supported by team management, which aided the Indian batting unit in the showpiece event.
