Speaking during the captains’ media interaction ahead of the T20 World Cup, Rohit gave an update on Shami, who was drafted into the squad despite not having played a competitive game since July.
“Shami had COVID a couple of weeks ago. He was then called up to the NCA, he’s been working hard for the last 10 days and he’s in Brisbane. He’ll be training with us tomorrow,” Rohit said.
“Everything we’ve heard about his recovery is positive. He’s bowled three four times at maximum intensity. We’ve tried hard to manage the players over the last 12 months, but injuries happen. If you see, whoever has entered the team, they have matches under their belt.”
Bumrah was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, leaving a big hole in the bowling department. Although batting has come a long way in the past year, bowling remains the team’s weakest link.
“Bumrah is a quality bowler. We have spoken to a lot of specialists about his (back) injury but the response has not been very positive. The World Cup is important but his career is more important, he hasn’t only 27-28. We couldn’t have risked playing him here, that’s what the specialists also said. We will miss him,” Rohit said.
Injuries are unfortunate but unavoidable and it’s one of the main reasons India have been focusing on creating a bigger pool of players over the past 12 months, the skipper said.
Whether it’s batting or bowling, India have given plenty of opportunities to the youngsters after their premature exit from the World Cup 12 months ago, in addition to drastically changing their style of play.
“Injuries are a big part of the sport. If you play that many games, injuries will happen. Our focus over the last year has been to increase our squad on the bench. You must have seen that we were playing new guys every whenever the opportunity presented itself,” he said.
Rohit said the team needed to make the best use of available resources rather than thinking about the injured.
“There’s no point in being disappointed. What needs to be done is the most important thing. It was a conscious effort to come here (Australia) early, we played two practice games and two more to play .
“We will be fully prepared ahead of the first match (against Pakistan on October 23). There are no last minute decisions to be made. All players involved have been notified in advance,” he said. stated when referring to India’s XI for the big one. Game.
He also expects a lot from Suryakumar Yadav in this tournament. Suryakumar has been India’s number one T20 hitter for the past 12 months.
“He’s in good form, I hope he continues that way in the middle order. He’s a very confident and fearless player and he uses his skills very well,” Rohit said.
“We understand the importance of the Indo-Pak competition”
The most anticipated clash of the World Cup is the India-Pakistan match at the MCG on October 23.
While the players from both teams enjoy a cordial relationship and have recently seemed rather relaxed ahead of the big game, the fans on either side of the border are massively contributing to the hype around the game.
Rohit and his Pakistani counterpart Babar Azam also seemed extremely relaxed during the captains’ media interaction here. It was no surprise that out of the 16 captains, most questions were reserved for Rohit and Babar.
They were also asked what they usually end up talking about when they meet at tournaments.
“We’re not even talking about cricket,” Babar revealed.
“Rohit bhai is older than me. I am trying to learn the game from him. He has achieved a lot and I am trying to get everything I can from him,” said the humble Pakistani skipper.
With his response, Rohit lightened the mood in the room.
“Babar is absolutely right. We understand the importance of the game, but there’s no point in talking about it and creating that pressure in yourself. Every time we meet, we ask about the families of the others. I met all his teammates.
“Even our former players have told us what they talk about. It’s usually ‘how is their families, how is their life, what new car they bought or are going to buy’. It’s mostly that,” said Rohit smiling. of Babar.
