I want them to go out there and play freely – Rohit Sharma on India’s win against England

It was another extraordinary display from Rohit Sharma and company as they extended their unbeaten run to a staggering 7th victory, braving England, the same opposition who proved to be the unravelling of India a couple of years ago at Adelaide in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Rohit played another scintillating knock, blasting 57 off 39, an innings that comprised six fours and two sixes. He also led from the very front in terms of his bowling maneuvers while being an absolute live wire on the field. Talking at the post-match presentation, he pointed out the nitty-gritties that impinged the contest while underscoring the contributions of each and every player.

Rohit said, “Very satisfying to win this game. We worked really hard as a unit. To win this game like that was a great effort from everybody. We adapted to the conditions really well. The conditions were a little challenging, we had to adapt and that's been the success story for us so far till this game. We have adapted to the conditions really well, played the conditions really well. The bowlers and the batters, if they play according to the conditions, things falls in place and that's exactly what happened for us today.”

He further added, “Very pleasing to see how we came through this game. At one stage, we were feeling 140-150 and as the game went on, we got some runs in the middle, me and Surya. We got that partnership, then we said another 25 runs more. I can set the target in my mind, but I don't want to let anyone know about it, to the batters ... because ... they are all all instinctive players and I want them to go out there and play freely without thinking too much about what's the par score. We bat well, we understand the condition well, we will get to a good score and that's exactly what happened. We got to 170 which I thought was a very good score on that pitch and then the bowlers were fantastic.”

Shedding some light on the Indian spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, Rohit said, “They are gun spinners. When conditions like that are in front of them, It's difficult to play some shots. The pressure is on them as well to come and execute those balls but they were calm and knew what to bowl. We had a little chat after the first innings - try and hit the stumps as much as possible, keep the stumps in play.”

He also talked about Virat stating, “Kohli is a quality player. Any player can go through that. We do understand his class and we do understand his importance in all these big games. Form is never a problem. When you've played cricket for 15 years, form is never a problem. He's looking good, the intent is there, he's probably saving for the final. Absolutely (backing Kohli for the final).”

Rohit concluded by saying, “We have been very calm as a team. We understand the occasion (final), it's a big occasion. For us it's important we keep calm. Staying composed helps you make good decisions and that'll be required. We got to keep making good decisions throughout the 40 overs. That'll help us making the game through. In this game, we were very steady and calm. We didn't panic too much and that has been the key for us. You got to play good cricket and that's what we want to do in the final as well. We'll try our best, that's all I can say. The team is in good shape, they are playing well. All I can hope is to put up another good show come the finals.”