India lost their second Asian Cup Super Four game against Sri Lanka with a ball left in Dubai on Tuesday to leave their final waning hopes at the mercy of other results.
“Don’t worry if you lose two games,” Rohit, who broke a 72 with 41 balls in India’s 173-8, told reporters.
Rohit Sharma: It is unfair to judge Bhuvneshwar Kumar after 2 games
“We don’t talk like that in the locker room, because we’ve played so many games after the (last) World Cup and won. I don’t think it’s a cause for concern.”
If Pakistan’s fierce rivals – who overhauled India with a spare ball on Sunday – beat Afghanistan on Wednesday, knock India out and face Sri Lanka in Sunday’s final.
“There is no gadbad (Hindi for disorder),” Rohit said. “From the outside it looks bad, but we don’t have that feeling. I know how the media react when you lose a game and there are questions raised, it’s normal. You can look inside the locker room that the boys are relaxed and cold.”
Sri Lanka pursued their victory goal of 174 after veteran sailor Bhuvneshwar Kumar lost 14 points in the 19th over, leaving seven needed from the last six balls.
Kumar had given away 19 points in the 19th over in India’s defeat to Pakistan, who needed 26 of the last two overs, but Rohit defended his bowler hat.
“The skilled hitters come out and the bowlers lose too, these things are normal and they happen,” Rohit said.
“Bhuvi has been playing for so long and he has worked for us for so many years in ‘death overs’ and has won our games. So we shouldn’t judge him on two or three games.”
Arshdeep Singh, emerging left-arm fast pitcher, delivered the final in both matches and faced a torrent of social media abuse, largely because he belongs to the Sikh minority, after knocking out Asif Ali for nothing in the 18th v Pakistan .
Ali went on to smash an eight-ball winning 16, but Rohit insisted the 23-year-old was unaffected.
“Honestly the guys here don’t look too much at social media these days. A few leaks here and there, a lost grip, we don’t look too hard,” Rohit said.
Another close match in Dubai and Sri Lanka wins by 6 wickets. Scorecard – https://t.co/JFtIjXSBXC # INDvSL… https://t.co/mDdNlZI96n
– BCCI (@BCCI) 1662487117000
“Yes, he himself was disappointed as it was a hold that could have been taken, but again if you saw his confidence when he came and threw that last time … he’s a confident guy.”
Rohit and India, who have a poor recent record in global tournaments, are under pressure to deliver at Australia’s T20 World Cup in October and November, having only won it once at the inaugural 2007 event.
They last won the 50 over World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, although they won the last Asian Cup in 2018 when it was played in the 50 over format.
India failed to reach last year’s T20 World Cup semifinals in the UAE and lost in the semifinals at the 2019 50-over World Cup in England.
Where is Umran Malik (150km speed)? Why wasn’t Deepak chahar (high quality bowler hat) there? Tell me if these … https://t.co/N3CL9cj8hs
– Harbhajan Turbantor (@harbhajan_singh) 1662488966000
“In tournaments like the World Cup, the Asian Cup, the challenge here is to face different teams with different plans,” said Rohit.
“We discussed it in the locker room that we should think ahead of the opponents and then we will get results,” he said.
“But we don’t have to think about it too much. Yes, the pressure is there and our job is to make the kids understand how to cope in situations of pressure.”
