- 04/06/2024
India's captain Rohit Sharma excited by stadium and strong World cup bid
04/06/2024
Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA
04/06/2024
Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA
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SportsTranscript
00:00World Cup was never held. Is it a mystery or an excitement? And starting off with a team like
00:07Ireland, is it also a psychological advantage on an unknown wicket?
00:12Yeah, see, certainly the conditions are quite unknown for a lot of the teams who are going
00:22to play here. And it is the same for all the oppositions, all the teams who are going to
00:30play here. It is going to be the same. So, you know, you just have to play good cricket
00:38as simple as that. We're not going to look into too much about what oppositions we are
00:43playing. It's for us, what is important is what we want to do as a team and do that well,
00:51whether it is batting, bowling and fielding. So our focus will be on all these three aspects
00:58of the game and not too much into what kind of oppositions we are playing. Of course,
01:04you look into their strengths and weaknesses, but not looking at how they play or what is
01:11their team composition like and all that stuff. I think our focus will be on what we want
01:17to do as a team and focus on all three aspects of the game, like I said.
01:24Rohit, there is a certain brand of cricket that the team has been playing in both the
01:28white ball formats over a period of time. Given the conditions as they might exist here,
01:33how important is it to adapt and how therefore important does it become for the top three
01:37to send messages back to the dressing room, especially when you're batting first?
01:41Yeah, I think we saw that in the game that we played against Bangladesh, the warm-up
01:45game that we played. Of course, the two batters who are in the middle, a lot of communications
01:50between them first and then obviously sending the message back in as well is quite important.
01:57Those are the basics of when you start playing in slightly difficult or different conditions,
02:03I would say. The communication between your partners and the guys who are coming to bat
02:09in. We have discussed a lot of stuff before this game as to what the condition has to
02:16offer and how we're going to play on these type of conditions. Certainly, it doesn't
02:21look like it's a place where you can score easily, so we've got to be a little mindful
02:29of that and see what best we can do. That is what the experience in the dressing room
02:35is all about. We've got a lot of experience of a lot of the batters who have played in
02:41different conditions outside of India. I hope that experience comes to the fore and they
02:49can apply themselves and use it to their best advantage and eventually benefiting the team
02:55as well. I think it's quite important to do little things right in these type of conditions.
03:03Obviously adding up to the bigger cause and that is what the focus will be on. We are
03:10all coming off playing in IPL where a lot of runs were scored, so it's important to
03:15have that balance, understand what is required here. It's certainly not going to be an IPL
03:22kind of scores here, so we are very mindful of that and we just need to assess as quickly
03:29as possible and then bring your game into the picture.
03:46You had the warm-up game on the ground the other day, but then yesterday the pitch played
03:54a certain way. Did the performance of the pitch yesterday, has that led you to make
03:59even further changes?
04:01Look, I didn't get to watch the game. I was a little busy with my family who was arriving
04:11yesterday so I was busy with them. But no, certainly I know how the pitch played hearing
04:20from my other teammates and we've got a lot of guys in the team, support staff talking
04:26about what happened in that game. But see, again all I can say is we will make the best
04:33decision possible for these type of conditions, whatever the best level we feel. We are just
04:38going to go to the ground and have a look at the pitch. Certainly a lot of things are
04:46very uncertain in terms of the outfield, in terms of how the pitch is going to play. There
04:53is a square of four pitches, I don't know which wicket we are playing on, so who knows
04:59the wicket that we are playing tomorrow will be a good wicket to bat on. So it's all about
05:03adapting like I said just now, it's all about adapting and getting used to that condition
05:07real fast because you don't have too much time. And if the pitch plays good, certainly
05:14we know what to do on pitches which are playing well and certainly when the pitch is doing
05:20a little bit we know exactly what we need to do as a batting group and also the bowling
05:24group as well. It's just not about batting, I think when you have a pitch like that where
05:28it's slightly helpful for the bowlers, bowlers have an important role to play as well. So
05:35yeah we'll keep an eye on all these aspects of the game and see what is best in terms
05:40of our combination as well. We've got balance in all departments, whether if we need seamers,
05:46we've got seamers, we have good spin bowlers as well. So yeah we'll decide based on how
05:53the pitch is, again the dimension of the ground as well, we've got to go and see all of that.
05:58Rohit, before the ODI World Cup you had said that there was a sense of unfinished business
06:05to that tournament and we all know how difficult it was to deal with the defeat. So here, this
06:13is one tournament that you have won and so do you go into a T20 World Cup like this with
06:20a lot more freedom as to, if it happens, it happens, otherwise it's fine, life goes on.
06:26I've thought a lot about this now. I'm just going to go and play my game and help the
06:33team in whatever way I can and get everyone together to play as a team. That is what I'm
06:39going to be focusing on. Not looking at the larger picture, I don't think those kind of
06:44things will help so much. Staying in the present, doing the things that is required at that
06:50particular time, well that is important. So I'll be focusing on that and I'm sure everyone
06:58in the team have their own way of dealing with tournaments like World Cup and I'm sure
07:04they'll take the right calls as well. But for me, I think it's important not to look
07:08too far ahead, just think about what we need to do tomorrow, play the game well and then
07:15take it from there, not think too much and put pressure on yourself.
07:20Rohit, you played almost all the T20 World Cups from the starting. How the game has evolved
07:26over the years and could you share what you expect this time?
07:32We have seen it over the years. A lot of innovations, a lot of unexpected things people don't expect.
07:40Guys are doing that. That's how the game has evolved. The run scoring has become a lot
07:46more frequent and guys are fearless now. They don't worry about the results so much. They
07:53just want to try and put pressure. The bowlers, the same as well. They are not afraid of taking
08:00various options when they are bowling as well. So yeah, it's there for people to see how
08:08the game has evolved from 2007 to now. 140-150 was a winning score. But again, on pitches
08:17like this, I don't know what the good score is. But I'm just saying, all the tournaments
08:22that we've been watching, T20 tournaments, the average score is a lot more than what
08:28it used to be in 2007. So that's because of the innovation of the players, trying to do
08:34different things at different times, being brave and stuff like that.
08:39Rohit, as an individual player or as maybe a captain of one of the most popular teams
08:45in the world, how do you see this whole concept of bringing cricket to mainland America and
08:50cricket will be a part of LA Olympics as well? From that point of view, how hopeful,
08:55how excited are you guys to play cricket in this part of the world?
08:58No, we are all very excited. We never thought, you know, cricket in America will be played
09:07at any given stage. But now that we are here, you know, it's a different feeling right from
09:14the time you arrived in New York, you know, spending only 10 minutes at immigration, which
09:19is very rare, doesn't happen. So you can make out that the buzz is there, you know, even
09:26the locals here are quite intrigued by, you know, a cricket tournament happening, a World
09:31Cup happening here, because we go to the cafes and all, there are a lot of locals who come
09:35there and wish us the best. So all these things, you know, we've never experienced because
09:40we've never been here. We've been to Florida, but this is different. So I'm sure, you know,
09:48all of us who are playing here will leave a mark in this city and the people of US as
09:54well. So hopefully it's the right step in the right direction. And, you know, for the
10:01future of cricket to happen in America, I think this is the right platform and right
10:05first stepping stone for all of us, all the teams who are participating to make sure that,
10:10you know, we leave something behind for the people of US.
10:15Rohit, yesterday Rahul declared that, you know, it would be his last assignment as coach.
10:22You have had the best of equation with him as captain and coach. Will you say something
10:26about your association? And is there anything in the team that will do it for him or something
10:31like that? Generally it happens before the World Cup.
10:33We have not really thought of it. But yeah, look, my equation with him goes a long way
10:42back from the time he came to do this job. Actually, he was my first international captain
10:48when I made my debut in Ireland. He was my first captain. And then I've seen him. I've
10:55seen him play while I was just coming into the team, test matches, you know, when he
11:01was captain. And such a big role model for all of us, you know, growing up, we watched
11:09him play. And we know, you know, what he's achieved personally as a player and also what
11:17he's done for the team over the years, battling out the team from difficult situations. And
11:25that is what he's known for. He's shown a lot of great determination throughout his
11:29career. And that is something that when he came here as a coach, you know, I wanted to
11:34learn from him, you know. And it's been very fruitful. Other than, you know, the big silverware,
11:42I think we've won all the major tournaments and series and all of that. But yeah, having
11:51said that, I think I've enjoyed every bit of it, working with him, deciding what direction
12:00the team needs to head. And for him to buy into that thought obviously makes a huge difference.
12:06You know, and he was the first one that who came and said, you know, this is what we need
12:11to do as a team. And no matter what happens, but at least we'll give it a good shot at
12:16it when he arrived. So yeah, I tried convincing him to stay. But I think, you know, obviously,
12:26there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well. But yeah, I've personally
12:31enjoyed my time with him. I'm sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It's been great
12:39working with him. And I hope, I'm not going to say anything, actually. I'm not going to say anything.
12:46What are your thoughts on the Ireland team and whether it's a bit of a banana skin type of game for you?
12:57No, not really. It's going to be a good game. They are a good team. They play a lot of T20 cricket.
13:02A lot of the players play around the world in a lot of the leagues. So yeah, it's going
13:07to be as competitive a game as we play with any other opposition. Like I said at the start,
13:15the first question, we just got to be looking at what we need to do as a team. And whatever
13:21they throw at us, we need to be ready with our answers as well. So it's going to be a
13:25good game. We have to be at our best to win the game. You know, that's how T20 cricket
13:32goes. If you lose the grip, if you lose your focus, there's a good chance that you might
13:40not end up on the right side. So for us, I think it's important that we start well, focus
13:45on what we need to do, assess the conditions and play the game well.
13:49Rohit, when you left the shores of India in the press conference with the Chief Selector
13:55Ajit Agarkar, a question was asked, why four spinners are being taken to the Caribbean
14:03and the US? And your answer was, that is my secret. Is today the day where the magician
14:10reveals the secret? No, it's still the secret. You'll watch
14:14it across the tournament.
14:20Rohit, the question was, you brought four spinners, but the practice match you played,
14:28the ball was gripping a little, what was happening for the spinner? Yesterday, Sri Lanka's batting
14:34was a little off, and the spinner played a big role. So the role of the spinner in the
14:40practice match, does that mean that in general, not only us, the spinner will play a big role?
14:46Yes, definitely. And our two spinners are basically all-rounders, Jadeja and Akshar Patel.
14:59So if you want to make a good team balance, you need a lot of all-rounders in the team
15:04who can bowl overs and bat. We have Hardik and Dubey in the fast bowling all-rounders,
15:11Jadeja and Akshar in the spinners. So how to use these four people across the tournament,
15:22we have thought about it, but as the conditions come up, as the opposition comes up,
15:29how to use these four players, that is our focus.
15:35We have seen how big all-rounders are in T20 cricket, not just T20 cricket, but in all formats.
15:46But I think their role will be very big, because the rest of the players can only play one role,
15:52they have two roles in the team. So I think it is important that we use these four well.
16:00As I said, I don't know if we can play all four together. If we can, that will be good.
16:06If we cannot, even then we have to find our way. But if you have options, it is good.
16:14If you don't have options, then you won't be able to do anything.
16:17And as we saw when we played the warm-up game with Bangladesh,
16:22all three spinners bowled 2-2 overs, but they bowled good 2-2 overs.
16:26It was not that easy to hit them. And in yesterday's match too, the spinners took wickets.
16:33So see, no one knows about these conditions, whether the spinners will take wickets or the seamers.
16:39So we have to find the best combination and see what will suit our team.
16:45How can we keep our batting line-up long? How can we have more bowling options?
16:50Keeping these two things in mind, we will think of making a combination.
16:58Rohit, during the warm-up game, a fan suddenly came on the ground.
17:02The way the security caught him, you were requesting him to go easy.
17:07Can you tell us about the emotions at that time?
17:10And the fans who have come to America for the first time, they are eager to meet you.
17:16So how did you get this demand? Obviously, wherever you play for India, there is a lot of demand.
17:21Is it a distraction? How do you handle the team?
17:24See, first of all, I would say that no one should intrude on the ground like this.
17:28This is not right. And this question was also not right.
17:32Because we should not promote this thing that who is running on the ground.
17:35I think, see, the security of the players is important.
17:41Similarly, the security of the people outside is also important.
17:44We are playing cricket, yes, but those who are sitting outside,
17:48it is also important for them to understand that there are rules and regulations of every country.
17:53And it is very important to follow them and understand them.
17:56So that's all I will say. What else can I say?
18:01Now see, the rules are different in India and here.
18:04So understand the rules, what is there and what is not.
18:07Have you seen the match? They have made such a good stadium.
18:11You can watch the match comfortably.
18:13There is no need to run to the ground. There is no need to do all this, I think.
18:17And what was the other thing?
18:20Is this a distraction when such incidents happen?
18:23No, no, there is no distraction. See, now our focus is on some other things.
18:27We don't focus on who is running to the ground and what to do.
18:31I don't think any player will be distracted by that.
18:34Because a lot of big things are going on in the mind.
18:38How to win a match, how to make a run, how to take a wicket.
18:42I am sure this is going on in everyone's mind.
18:45So I don't think such things can distract players.
18:52Hi Rohit, I am Mamta.
18:56Hi Rohit, Mamta from EVC Radio, New Jersey.
19:01And when I do a radio show, there is a tagline,
19:04Mamta who doesn't like anything.
19:06But I just want to say that as a captain of this team,
19:12playing here in US, it will be a completely different experience for you.
19:16So what do you want to say to your fans?
19:19What do you want to say to your fans who are watching you in US?
19:22Not just NRI, but everyone who doesn't even know cricket.
19:27No, see, that's why we came here to play cricket.
19:31To promote cricket in this country.
19:34We have never played cricket in this state.
19:38We have never played an international match.
19:40So it's going to be the first time.
19:42I am sure, like I said, all the cricketers who are here,
19:47will leave something behind for the American public who live here.
19:54And those who like cricket here.
19:56So hopefully, the kind of cricket that will happen here,
19:59hopefully, fans and all the people will come to watch cricket.
20:07And there will be a lot of matches here in the future.
20:10That's what I think.
20:12Rohit, did you do any preparation for the Caribbean?
20:20I am from Barbados and I am a WD Financer.
20:22And I know that's where your goal is.
20:24Did you prepare for the prospect that you might be doing in Barbados?
20:31Like I said, it's too far ahead.
20:35But we played a lot of cricket in West Indies last year as well.
20:39We played a lot of T20 cricket as well.
20:42Although we didn't win the series the last time we played in the Caribbean.
20:46But we understand the conditions there.
20:50We know what to expect from those type of conditions.
20:54We played possibly in all the venues that we are going to play during the World Cup.
20:59So we are quite aware of the conditions.
21:02All the guys have played, maybe one or two haven't played there.
21:06But the rest of us are there to help them out as to what they need to do.
21:11But in terms of knowing the conditions, preparation, I think we should be sorted with that.
21:18Because we played a lot of cricket there.