We would take horses for courses and all options are open: Rohit Sharma

The big game awaits us all and it promises to be a roller-coaster with two giants willing to battle it out at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. For both India and Australia, two captains who have previously led their sides but not against each other in Tests will be coming face to face. Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian ranks while Pat Cummins will be in charge of the Australians.

However, before the two juggernauts meet in the field of battle, the war of words from outside has been deafening and a lot of cricket pundits from Australia believe that India is probably going to infuse the surfaces with a voodoo of their own that will leave the visitors on the edge. The Indian captain opened up on this debate and gave his take on the vehement questioning of Indian pitches.

In the pre-match conference, Rohit said, “Speaking about doctored pitches, I just feel like, focus on the cricket that is going to be played in the next five days and not worry too much about the pitch. The last series that we played here, a lot was said about the pitches. After all, the 22 guys out there are all quality players. So don't worry about what the pitches are going to be like, how much will it turn, how much will it seam. Just come out and play good cricket, win the game as simple as that.”

He also gave a brief glimpse of the strategy that Indian batters will look to employ to counter spin, adding, “It is important to have a plan and figure out a way. Everyone has a different method. Some like to sweep, some reverse, some hitting over the bowler's head. You need to rotate the strike and sometimes you need to counterattack. The captains would obviously try different things and change fields and bowlers. So you need to plan and play accordingly.”

Rohit was also clear about the selection machinations of the side, stating, “It is tough. The guys are in good form, pushing for a spot and doing really well, and it is tough to leave some out. But it is a good sign overall that all the guys are performing well and in with a chance for selection. But we will see the conditions and pick teams accordingly. Different pitches would need different skillset. The message is clear, we would take horses for courses and all options are open.”