We need to find answers, still working towards that: Rohit Sharma

India beat South Africa 2-1 in the three-match T20 International series despite suffering a 49-run defeat in the final game here on Tuesday

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma. File photo: PTI
Press Trust of India
3 min read Last Updated : Oct 04 2022 | 11:59 PM IST
Despite two identical series wins against "quality sides" Australia and South Africa, captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday conceded that the Indian team still needs to address some areas of concern, especially bowling, ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

India beat South Africa 2-1 in the three-match T20 International series despite suffering a 49-run defeat in the final game here on Tuesday. They had beaten Australia by a similar margin in the preceding series.

"As a team, we said it at the beginning no matter what happens about the result, there's always room for improvement. Even if we do well in all three departments, we want to keep getting better," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.

"Areas of concerns, we have to look at our bowling, what more options we can find in the powerplay, middle and death.

"We were playing two quality sides, have to go back and see what better we can do. It will be challenging and we need to find answers, still working towards that." Rohit said the players need a lot more clarity in terms of what they want to achieve and it's his job to make sure it happens.

He said since several members of the World Cup-bound squad have not been in Down Under, the squad will leave for Australia early to acclimatise to the conditions.

"Lot of the guys haven't been to Australia, which is why we wanted to go early. Play on some bouncy pitches in Perth and see what we can do there. Out of the 15, only 7-8 have been there before, so wanted to make an effort to go there early," he said.

"We've organised a couple of practice games." On the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumah from the T20 World Cup due to back injury, Rohit said, "Bumrah is a big miss, but there are a few guys in the reckoning. We'll make the call once we reach Australia." Suryakumar Yadav, who was named Player of the Series for his 119 runs, including two half-centuries, from three matches, said, "Haven't thought about Australia just yet but it's a challenge am really looking forward to." When asked if he knew he hit 50 sixes this calendar year, he said, "I'm not a stats man, but my friends keep sending me stuff on WhatsApp." South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said, "Win like this is big for our confidence. Can take a lot from this game. If we look back, in the first game, our batting didn't click. We didn't adapt to the conditions.

"In the second games, we had plans that we didn't execute. Today, we were a lot clearer in terms of the plans and what we were trying to do." Player of the Match Rilee Rossouw for his 100 not out said, "It's something every cricketer goes through (coming in on the back of two ducks). I Knew something's special in store. It was special, I'm glad to have been able to contribute." 

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Rohit SharmaIndia cricket teamsports

First Published: Oct 04 2022 | 11:59 PM IST

Next Story