India will face Bangladesh in the first of two rounds of tests from December 14 and will be without the services of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit BumrahRavindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami, injured.
India need to win their next six games (two in Bangladesh and four against Australia at home) to finish in the top two of the World Test Championship points table. The team is currently in fourth place behind Australia (75 percentage points), South Africa (60 percentage points) and Sri Lanka (64 percentage points).
“There is a qualification for the Test championship (final) so we will also have to be aggressive. We know where we are and what we need to do to qualify for the final,” Rahul told a press conference. after the unveiling of the trophy.
“Every day, every session, we will assess what is required for the team at that particular moment and do our best.”
The end-of-season Test World Championship will be held in June 2023 at the London Oval.
Substitute skipper Rahul assured the team were focused on getting a result but would not go into the game with a rigid mindset.
“We won’t go with a set mindset. Yes, there’s a certain history of a place, you look at the numbers and get some insights from that. At least for us, we’ll go there and try to be aggressive and courageous, try to achieve a result.
“The match is played over five days so it’s important to break it down into smaller targets. Each session the requirements would be different but one thing is for sure you’re going to see a lot of aggressive cricket from our side,” he said. the boss.
Much of this talk of aggressive intent has come from looking at the England team’s radically different ultra-aggressive approach, which has captured the imagination of cricket fans.
And skipper Rahul doesn’t think the English style of batsman typifies ‘recklessness’.
“As cricketers I don’t think it’s reckless cricket. They have a certain mindset, they’ve thought about it, they support their players and the players do the work for the team, so little it doesn’t matter how you did it. Cricket is changing, there’s no set way to play this game,” the elegant first player said.
Rahul actually enjoyed England’s 2-0 series win in Pakistan immensely with a test match yet to be played.
“Watching those two games between England and Pakistan has been really interesting. I really enjoy watching Test cricket being played like that, a very fearless game.
“But every team has their own way. All teams can learn a thing or two from successful teams. You can’t always have the same approach. You show up depending on the conditions,” he said, giving His point of view. on the English approach.
“I hope Rohit can recover and play in the 2nd test”
Skipper Rohit Sharma has now missed back-to-back Test matches — one against England in July due to COVID-19 and now against Bangladesh due to a dislocated left thumb and a split strap.
“Rohit is an important player for us. He’s an experienced player and the captain of our team. He’s someone the team will really miss but we hope he can recover quickly and come back for the second testing,” Rahul said.
“I don’t know the criteria for selecting the vice-captain”
The previous national selection committee appointed Cheteshwar Pujara as vice-captain of the Bangladesh series, even as President Chetan Sharma said Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah as well as Rahul were groomed as future leaders.
Pujara is set to keep his spot in the Test squad and the vice-captaincy will be an absolute boost. Pujara was also named vice-captain for a test match during the historic 2020-21 tour of Australia.
When Rahul was asked about the vice-captain position, he avoided the question.
“As far as the vice-captain, at least I don’t know what the criteria are. Whoever is chosen, you give yourself a pat on the back. It really doesn’t change too much, everyone in the team knows their roles and responsibilities.”
He didn’t want to distinguish between who might have been a better deputy.
“Both Rishabh and Pujara were brilliant for us in test cricket and got the job done so many times. So we really don’t think much. The team wins at eleven and when we go down we go down as a whole team .has responsibility.”
“Shubman did his job every chance he got”
As a skipper it is always important to support performers and Rahul believes his likely opening partner Shubman Gill is one of them.
“Shubman has been a brilliant player and it’s wonderful to see his transformation (in the ODIs). In testing, every chance he got he did the job for the team. He has temperament for the longest format. In all formats, he is exciting. What we can do is bring back exciting and talented players.”
Rahul believes in empowering his players to make their own decisions on the pitch and play with a free spirit.
“As a leader, it’s important to support your players, to let them make their own decisions. At the same time, it’s also important that we enjoy our cricket and don’t overthink it. It’s about what we have to do as a team and as individuals to win the game for the country,” the man from Bangalore said.
(With PTI entries)
