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WATCH: Rohit Sharma slams reporter over ‘public perception’ question
During the ODI World Cup squad announcement on Tuesday, September 5th, India’s captain Rohit Sharma had a terse response to a journalist’s query about the public perception when India plays in world tournaments. Sharma, speaking alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar, firmly declined to entertain such questions during press conferences held in India.
“I have said this so many times. We don’t care what happens on the outside. All the players in our team are professional. Don’t ask me such questions. I won’t ask such questions. It doesn’t make sense to talk about such things. Our focus is something else and we do not care about these things,” Sharma said.
Here’s the viral video:
Rohit Sharma just owned a journalist 😂pic.twitter.com/dTevaW6iJg
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) September 5, 2023
‘There are no surprises and you can get only 15 in’ – Rohit Sharma
Team India stuck to a similar squad as the Asia Cup 2023. Two notable changes included Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson being struck out to make it a 15-member contingent. The Indian skipper added that the squad was along expected lines with no major surprises. “There are no surprises and you can get only 15 in. Some of the guys will be disappointed. I have gone through it and I know how it feels. We have good all-round options and this is the best 15 we could get,” Sharma said.
“I have not thought about plans yet. The problem of plenty is a good problem to have. We have to see who is in form and who our opposition is. We need to see what the best possible combination could be. If someone misses out, then so be it. This keeps happening. You have to make tough calls for the team,” he further added.
The 36-year-old also added that the bowling contingent has been designed keeping their batting abilities in mind. “We have to create the batting depth. Obviously, Nos 8 and 9 become crucial when it comes to batting depth. We fell a little short at the back end with the bat. Their job is not just to bowl the opposition out but also to score some runs. 10 or 15 runs could be the difference between winning and losing,” Sharma said during the press conference.