Rohit Sharma feels having a solid bench strength is paramount, and the team is striving to build one with an eye on the future with cricket being played around the year.
Since their shock group-stage elimination in the last 2021 T20I World Cup, India has been experimenting with their squads, with injury and workload management also playing a part in it.
Rohit Sharma Admits There Will Be Injuries And Workload Management So Bench Strength Will Be Tested
The Indian team has played against international sides such as South Africa, Ireland, England, and West Indies and now they are headed to the Asia Cup which in many ways will clear things and the air about the approach that the Indian team is looking at to have.
So far the Indian team has done quite well as they have emerged victorious against Ireland, England, and recently West Indies. The road for the players has been a hectic one, especially the ones who play all three formats of the game. The BCCI has actioned regarding this and has put a rotation policy in place which enables the senior players to take periodic breaks and the junior players to fill in whenever the need arises.
“We play lot of cricket, so there will be injuries and workload management, so we have to rotate players,” Rohit Sharma said on Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’.
“But it gives our bench strength to go and play the game, which is why we could try so many other guys who are ready to take that international stage and perform,” he added.
“We want to create our bench strength, we want to make sure that India’s future is in safe hands. That’s the planning that we are trying to have.” Rohit Sharma is now gearing up to lead India in the upcoming edition of the T20 showpiece in Australia, but before that, they have the Asia Cup to deal with.
He said the objective should be to get better as a team every day.
“I don’t know what next to expect but for me particularly, it’s just about getting better every day as a team,” said Rohit.
“No matter if you win or lose the series, that cannot take priority. What should take priority is if we are getting better as a team. The team’s goal is important and then obviously parts in it where the individuals come into play and play the role in the team’s success. But whatever the team is trying to do, the individuals need to buy into that thought process and work towards that direction.”
India has tried and tested as many as 30 players in different series and the captain recently revealed the reason behind this.
Rohit Sharma Reckons Coach Rahul Dravid Has A Similar Thought Process
While Rohit Sharma succeeded Virat Kohli as India’s all-format captain, India also had a new coach at the end of last year’s 2021 T20I World Cup, with Ravi Shastri making way for Rahul Dravid, who was the captain when Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut. Rohit Sharma spoke about the conversations they have had since taking over the reins of the Indian cricket team.
“When he became the coach here, we met and sat together in a room for a while and decided how we want to take this team forward,” Rohit said.
“He was pretty much on the same thought process as me. That made it easier for me to give out a clear message to the boys because the coach and captain always need to be on the same page for the team to move in the same direction.”
“One thing we have decided and have in common is we want to send the right messages and we don’t want to create any confusion in the group. That’s something we spoke about and of course, we wanted to change the style of cricket as well. We wanted to play in a certain way in all three formats and he was ready to accept all of that,” Rohit said.
Rohit Sharma revealed that apart from managing the workload of players, the focus is also on creating unmatchable bench strength. Rohit Sharma also added that he and Rahul Dravid are ensuring that the future of the team remains in the right hands.