India’s Rohit Sharma has recognized the challenge of choosing a wicketkeeper-batsman for ODIs, with both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant being strong contenders. He stressed that they are match winners in their own way.
Having participated in the T20 World Cup recently, Pant is now back into the Indian team as Rahul prepares to play his first ODI since January.
The forthcoming Sri Lanka series opener in Colombo on Friday will present either of them with an opportunity to showcase their wicketkeeping skills and batting prowess.
“It’s a tough call (wicketkeeper-batter between Rahul and Pant) to make. Both are quality players, and you know the abilities of both the players. They are match-winners in their own way. They have won a lot of games for us in past,” according to Rohit said during his pre-match press meet quoted by Parami News.
Rohit prefers overcrowding rather than having few options available to him
“It is not easy to pick a team or a player when you have quality like that. It is always nice to have problems like that while picking up the teams, so you know that there is quality in the squad. I look forward to these kind of problems till I am the captain,” he said smilingly.
According to Rohit regardless who gets picked it’s important for him or her just be natural
The 37-year-old also mentioned that management already created an informal environment among players where they can concentrate on their game without fears or hesitations. “The most important thing is freedom for players, so we create environment which allows them do it and this is our job. Yes, we have already created that environment for players to come here and play freely.”
“So that they would not think too much about my performance, result etc., if you are playing what your team wants you to play then we’re absolutely happy,” he add.
Rohit said Suryakumar Yadav, his successor in India’s T20I captaincy has done well in his first full series.
“It’s early days (in his captaincy); I don’t want to talk too much about it. He has done a great job, and let him continue doing it.”
“We start jumping into things (judgement) quite quickly, regardless of wins or losses. Let him do things consistently, and then we can talk about it,” he said.
With Suryakumar in charge, India beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in the recent T20I series which Rohit described as a promising start for this side.
“It’s definitely a good start for them in that format. They played well as a unit, which is what Team India is all about. I am sure they are heading in the right direction,” he added.
Rohit remembers Gaekwad
Rohit expressed that he was “devastated” upon hearing about the passing of former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad.
Gaekwad succumbed to blood cancer on Wednesday night after a long battle.
The news I received absolutely broke me apart. The conversations we had during the BCCI awards and all that. While I was playing in the Ranji Trophy, he watched us.
Rohit said there was an opportunity to speak with him
According to the captain, it was a great experience for him as he learned from a senior cricketer who had played under very different circumstances.
“He also spoke about my game, which was amazing because of his contribution to Indian cricket,” Rohit added. It always helped to learn from your seniors and get a feel of how cricket used to be in those days.
“Those were great lessons for me then. This is so sad for his family members. Bereavements are hard always when one loses their loved ones”, he explained.
