New York, June 5: As India meet Ireland in their first Group match on Wednesday in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Rohit Sharma and Co are expected to go all out eyeing a massive win.
Team India are expected to be high on morale after defeating Bangladesh in their solitary warm-up match on June 1.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his desire for the partnership to continue with head coach Rahul Dravid after the latter confirmed that the ongoing T20 World Cup will be his last assignment with Men in Blue and he hasn't re-applied for the position.
"I tried convincing him to stay, but obviously, there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well," Rohit said on the eve of the opener against Ireland. "But yeah, I've personally enjoyed my time with him. I'm sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It's been great working with him and I hope…I'm not going to say anything, actually. I'm not going to say anything."
"We have not really thought of it," Rohit said when asked if they were looking to do something special for the outgoing coach. "But my equation with him goes a long way back. He was my first international captain when I made my debut in Ireland. Then I've seen him play while I was just coming into the team, Test matches, when he was captain. And such a big role model for all of us. Growing up, we watched him play," he added.
Rohit applauded Dravid for his determination and for his fantastic career as a cricketer. Rohit also mentioned the lessons he received from Dravid as a coach and thanked for his fruitful coaching stint.
"We know what he's achieved personally as a player and also what he's done for the team over the years, bailing out the team from difficult situations. And that is what he's known for. He's shown a lot of great determination throughout his career, and that is something that, when he came here as a coach, I wanted to learn from him. It's been very fruitful, other than the big silverware I think we've won all the major tournaments and series and all of that.
"Having said that, I think I've enjoyed every bit of it, working with him, deciding what direction the team needs to head. And for him to buy into that thought makes a huge difference. And he was the first one who came and said, this is what we need to do as a team," said Rohit.
Rohit, who made his debut as a member of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning squad, stated that he now wanted to avoid considering the title before to arriving at the summit clash.
"I have thought a lot about all this. Now I'm just going to play my game and help the team in whatever way I can and get everyone together to play as a team. That is what I'm going to be focusing on. Not looking at the larger picture. I don't think those kinds of thoughts will help so much. Staying in the present and doing what is required at that particular time which is important, and I'll be focusing on that," said the Indian skipper.
"I'm sure everyone in the team have their own way of dealing with tournaments like World Cup. And I'm sure they'll take the right calls as well. But for me, I think it's important not to look too far ahead. Just think about what we need to do tomorrow. Play the game well and then take it from there. We won't think too much and put ourselves under pressure," he concluded.
Regarding the Wednesday clash, despite having a 7-0 win record against Ireland in the T20 World Cups, the Men in Blue will not take the opponents lightly as they are very much aware of their competitive mindset.
Probable XIs:
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh/Mohammed Siraj.
Ireland: Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (c), Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young/Ben White, Josh Little.
Considering Group situation, India would be keen to beat Ireland by a huge margin. Because they face arch rivals Pakistan on June 9 in their next match, which is expected to be a close encounter as always.
Moreover, Team India would love to give a World Cup winning send-off to Rahul Dravid, who has already announced that the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 would be his last assignment as India head coach. (With IANS support)
