India captain Rohit Sharma has finally spoken about India’s chances in the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The wait for trophy has streched to 12 years now.
Despite not advancing past the semi-final stage in the last two World Cups, Rohit believes that his team can replicate the success of their compatriots in the 2011 tournament when India won the final of ICC Men’s ODI World Cup at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.
During the Barbados leg of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Trophy Tour, Rohit emphasized the importance of patience and preparation for India’s home campaign, which is set to begin in October. The team is yet being build around with experience and some fearless bunch of guys. Every series before the World Cup is like like an opportunity for the guys to showcase what they can offer at the biggest stage.
Reflecting on the building up a brigde, Rohit Sharma said:
“It’s still a long way to go and we know you can’t win the World Cup in one or two days, you’ve got to play well the entire month, month and a half, and be consistent. We are trying everything we can from our perspective to make sure we are ready for that World Cup.”
Rohit’s contribution with the bat will be crucial for India’s success in the tournament. In the 2019 World Cup, he was the top run-scorer with 648 runs at an average of 81. He scored five centuries, demonstrating his ability to perform under pressure and in must win games.
Rohit Sharma was at his absolute best in 2019 World Cup. India’s journey there was cut short by New Zealand side led by Kane Williamson. Rohit understands that he needs to replicate his success from four years ago, but on the same time, it will be about some individuals, can they take care of the game once the experienced ones have done their job.
2019 World Cup was a record breaking tournament for Rohit and shared the secret of his noteworthy performance, saying to ICC:
“I was in a good mind space (in 2019), I was feeling really good about my cricket, prepared really well before the World Cup and when you’re heading into a tournament like that, all you want to do is start well, mentally and physically fresh and then everything falls into place.’
Reflecting on his early World Cup memories, Rohit draws inspiration from key moments in the tournament’s history. He mentioned Ajay Jadeja’s famous catch of Allan Border in 1992, which symbolized India’s progress in the limited-overs format. Rohit also remembers Herschelle Gibbs’ dropped catch in 1999, which cost South Africa the World Cup, and Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant batting in the 2003 tournament.
The highlight of India’s World Cup history for Rohit is their victory in 2011. However, it was bittersweet for him as he had to watch the tournament from home after being left out of the squad. Initially, he contemplated not watching the World Cup at all, but he realized the significance of a global tournament victory for his country and teammates.
Rohit vividly recalls India’s strong performance in the knockout stages, particularly the quarter-final against Pakistan and the semi-final against Australia, where Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina played crucial roles.
As India prepares for the upcoming World Cup 2023, Rohit Sharma is focused on creating a positive mindset and recreating the success he experienced in the past.
He acknowledges the challenges and pressure that come with playing in such high-stakes matches but remains confident in his team’s abilities. Reflecting on the importance of the event Rohit said:
“It’s the World Cup, so everyone is looking forward to this and the World Cup coming back to India after 12 years. People are quite excited and we can see the buzz already back home. I’ll be looking forward to playing in all venues.”
With Rohit Sharma’s leadership and his own outstanding batting performances, India will be aiming to lift the World Cup trophy once again and create new memories in their home campaign.
