Captain Rohit Sharma throughout a apply session forward of the India vs New Zealand World Cup semifinal in Mumbai, on November 14, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Tuesday was all about relaxed skippers and expansive solutions. After Kane Williamson dealt with queries with aplomb at the Wankhede Stadium in the afternoon, later in the night it was Rohit Sharma’s flip to preserve the scribes in good spirits. He even stated ‘fortune favours the brave’ and smiled on the eve of Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal involving India and New Zealand.
Keeping the workforce relaxed has been the Indian captain’s strategy by means of this World Cup and he defined: “In India, pressure is always there, people will say win the match, score a 100, get a five-for. And when we step inside there is performance-pressure too. So when you get a break, keep cricket away.”
“After the Dharamshala game against New Zealand, we stayed there for a few days and we even had a fashion show which you guys never knew, and obviously I can’t tell who won. As for me, my family is with me and once I get back to the hotel, it helps me to think beyond cricket.”
Asked about New Zealand, the captain stated: “They are a good side and have made most knockouts since 2015. They are smart cricketers and they all know how we play too. We did well in nine games, and hopefully we will do well in the next two games.”
With speak veering in direction of the Wankhede floor and the likelihood of some help to bowlers in the preliminary hour, Rohit nonetheless felt that the toss is not going to be an element. “I have played many games here and I don’t want to explain what this surface is. We will look at game-day and try and play some good cricket. In this World Cup, we have chased, we have batted first too and we are open to these challenges,” the skipper stated.
