One step at a time for us: Rohit Sharma on India’s vision in the 2022 T20 World Cup

The clock is ticking faster than ever as Team India gears up for a momentous challenge against Pakistan on Sunday in Melbourne. The preparations are at an all-time high in both the dugouts and no matter the history, when it boils down to these two arch-rivals, it would be all about starting from scratch and then at the end, looking back at the numbers that would go down in history.

Just ahead of India’s clash against Pakistan, the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma opened up in an interview on BCCI.TV and he laid down the entire strategy bare and the objectives that are currently doing rounds in the Indian dugout.

Rohit said, “It's been a while since we won the World Cup. Obviously, the motive and the whole thought process is to win the World Cup, but we know that we need to do a lot of things right to get there, so one step at a time for us.”

He further added, “We can't think too far ahead. You really cannot think about semis and finals from now itself, you just need to focus on each team that you are going to come against and try to do your best and prepare well against each team and make sure we move in the right direction.”

Despite starting as the absolute favourites ahead of many T20 World Cups, the last time India bagged this trophy was a staggering 15 years back in 2007. 2021 witnessed India bowing out of the fray prematurely after suffering a couple of early defeats at the hands of Pakistan and New Zealand.

However, knowing what happened last time, the Indian captain has said that the Men in Blue will have to be composed and not allow themselves to bask in unnecessary hype. He said, “We know that this is going to happen - whenever we play Pakistan, it's always a blockbuster. People want to come out and watch and feel the atmosphere, more than anything else. Obviously, they want to enjoy the cricket as well, but at the same time, the atmosphere in the stadium for the fans, the spectators, even people watching from home - it's pretty exciting.”

Talking about the proper mental state of the players ahead of the contest, the Indian skipper said, “And for us as players, of course, it's a big game - we are starting off our campaign. But, at the same time, we want to just keep ourselves quite relaxed and focused on what we need to do as individuals because that is going to be the key for us. If individuals can keep themselves calm and composed during the game, we'll get the result that we're looking for.”