With India having gone without winning a T20 World Cup after the triumph in the inaugural edition in 2007, captain Rohit Sharma believes that the showpiece event in Australia gives his side a chance to change the trend of being winless in ICC events in the last nine years.
“It’s a challenge to not win an ICC trophy for nine long years, if I am not wrong. The last one we won was in 2013 (Champions Trophy). With the team like India, there are always a lot of expectations and are certainly disappointed with that (on not having the trophies in last nine years).
“This tournament gives us that chance to change it and do well. We certainly know we have to play our best cricket in coming here and do well. So, we will take things one game at a time and think about that one game, how we will do well in that game and then move on from there to think about the next one,” said Rohit in the pre-match press conference.
With the dreams of doing an encore of 2007 resurfacing in 2022, Rohit termed it as a challenge for his team to live up to the same. “Won’t say it as a pressure, but will definitely say it’s a challenge for us to come out on top in the ICC events.
“Not the performance we would have liked to put in ICC events when we play the big games (in the past), I believe the opportunity comes and we have the opportunity to come here and do well. We will have to focus on certain things to get that right.”
Just like the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, India starting this year’s campaign against Pakistan has invited the usual hype and excitement around the marquee clash.
Rohit acknowledged that with him being the captain of India in an ICC tournament for the first time, Sunday’s match becomes very crucial for him. But at the same time, he would be thinking more about how to get the results he’s looking for and ways to put Pakistan under pressure.
“With me captaining now, it obviously becomes a very big thing for me. But I have always thought in my career that whenever I get a chance to play for India, then it becomes an important game for me. Occasion changes from time to time. I have played a World Cup final against Pakistan in 2007, as well as Champions Trophy final (in 2017). We have won (in 2007) as well as lost the final (in 2017).
“My thinking has always been that whenever I get to play for India, that itself is a big occasion for me, whether I played in 2007 or I am going to play in 2022 because I know how important it is to play a match for India and what all things come with it, which is a big honour.
“With me captaining now, it is an icing on the cake for me. But when we take the field for tomorrow, my attention will not be on all these things. I will always be thinking about how we can look to do good in the match; the results we want, how can we get them and how to put the opposition under pressure.”
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