India will take the Windies in the first T20I in Trinidad on Friday. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has urged his boys to play freely and not take undue pressure.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma accepts that the new fearless approach embraced by his boys in the shortest format would result in infrequent failures. However, he counters that they played "conservative" cricket during the ICC T20 World Cup last year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Rohit stated that the new approach furnishes more freedom for the players. The process succeeded after the disappointing T20WC campaign, where India was eradicated in the group stage.
"We didn't get the result from the last World Cup, but that doesn't mean we played bad cricket all these years, and I don't agree we were playing conservative cricket," Rohit was noted saying ahead of the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) against the Windies at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, on Friday.
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"If you lose one or two matches in the World Cup, it feels like we were doing this and that. We were not taking our chances. It's not like that. If you look at the overall games we have played leading into the World Cup; we won 80% of our games. If we were conservative, how could we win so many matches? That's fine that we lost in the World Cup and didn't qualify, but that happens. That doesn't mean we are playing with fear, not playing openly," added Rohit.
"Lately, we haven't made any changes, we are doing the same things, but the players have been given some freedom to go out and play their own game. Play openly—no need to take any undue pressure. If you play freely, performances will show," Rohit further asserted.
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Rohit also stated that change is the only constant, and the Indian team and its fans must move on with time. "There are bound to be occasional failures in the way we are playing cricket now, results will not be in our favour, but there is no problem in it because we are trying to learn something different," he reckoned.
"So, there is scope for mistakes, but that doesn't mean the boys are bad; the team is bad. It's just that we are trying to do something new. Everyone has to change with time, so I think people sitting outside also need to change their thinking," Rohit continued.
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The India skipper felt that the team for the upcoming T20WC in Australia in October-November is more or less settled, with solely a few spots up for grabs. "There are a few spots in the team which we need to fill, and we know what to do to fill those spots. We are trying to address these things in all these matches we are playing now," he elucidated.
"Every series that you play is crucial. Of course, there are World Cups to watch, but every series you play for India is crucial because there is something to look forward to all the time. What we achieved in England was special, but that's done, and we want to look forward now," described Rohit.
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Rohit said complacency has no place in the sport, and their mantra is to keep improving with every passing day. "Not to get complacent about what has happened in the past... It's elementary for us. We must focus on the present day and try to get the job done. We need to stay in the moment and try and see how we can get the job done. The goal for this team has always been how we can keep improving as a team every day," he spoke.
Rohit also welcomed the move to rope in Paddy Upton as the team's mental conditioning coach, who is aware of the group, having worked with the side before and was a part of India's 2011 ICC World Cup-winning squad. "He has much experience working with different teams at different places. His inclusion in the squad will help all of us. He will bring the mental side of the game into the picture," he affirmed.
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"He [Upton] has worked with the Indian team for a few years. He was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team. He has had some success in franchise cricket as well. The mental side of the game is essential," concluded Rohit.
(With inputs from PTI)