IND vs NZ 2022-23, 1st ODI: 'Don't want to compromise too much on the toss factor' - Rohit Sharma

Indian One-Day International (ODI) skipper Rohit Sharma on Tuesday backed all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin's idea of an early start in the 2023 ICC World Cup to negate the dew factor as the Indian captain does not want any team to gain undue advantage in a significant event. It becomes difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball when dew covers the field in the evening, making batting easier for the chasing team. Ashwin had proposed an 11.30 AM start for the CWC matches to be played in India in October-November. Usually, in India, the game starts at 1:30 PM. However, the broadcasters who pay big money to get the media rights are expected to have the final say on the subject.

"It is a good idea. It is a World Cup, right? You don't want to compromise too much on the toss factor. You want to take that away completely. I like the idea of an early start, but I don't know if it is possible. The broadcasters will decide [laughs]," said Rohit ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

"Ideally, you want to avoid teams getting advantage of dew. You want to see cricket being played without one having an advantage of batting under lights with dew around," Rohit added. The captain also confirmed that young wicketkeeper-opener Ishan Kishan, who sat out of the series against Bangladesh despite scoring a double ton in his last ODI innings, will be accommodated in the middle order.

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"Kishan will be batting in the middle order, and I am glad he could get a run here after that fine knock in Bangladesh," Rohit enunciated. Mohammad Siraj, Mohammad Shami and Umran Malik were India's preferred pace trio against Sri Lanka. Add leggie Yuzvendra Chahal to the playing eleven, and the tail looks much longer.

Rohit said Shardul Thakur had been brought back to the squad to address that issue, but it is one of the areas to work for the team ahead of the CWC. "I don't want to compromise on anything," he said when asked about playing seven batters and four specialist bowlers.

"You want to play your best eleven at the end of the day. Numbers eight and nine will be a challenge for us, someone who can bat at that point. That is why we got Shardul in. He can give us that edge at number eight. That is one aspect where we can be challenged if we lose early wickets or in the middle order. It is something that can worry you. Having said that, if you have good seven batters who can do the job for us in any situation, you can also look at playing combinations," continued Rohit.

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"We will play [the CWC] all over India in different conditions. We need to assess everything. Whether we can play with three spinners. Luckily, we have spinners who can bat Axar [Patel], Washy [Washington Sundar], Shahbaz [Ahmed] and Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja]. Those guys can give us the depth we are looking for, but not to forget the two quality wrist spinners we also have," Rohit said, referring to Chahal and chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Essential to manage Siraj and keep him fresh for Australia Tests and CWC
Rohit raved about Siraj ahead of the pacer's maiden ODI at his home ground. The skipper said that Siraj had improved massively across formats in the last two years. He was also the standout pacer against Sri Lanka.

"He [Siraj] is a crucial player for us. He has improved his line and length greatly in the last two years. Now, we are getting to see his outswing. He was not known for his swing, but he did that against Sri Lanka. That is very good for the team if he consistently does that with the new ball," stated Rohit.

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"He [Siraj] understands his bowling better now, which is a big thing in my view. He also knows what the team wants from him. All in all, he has become a terrific bowler for us. He can take wickets in all phases, and we need bowlers like him. We need to manage and keep him fresh for the World Cup and upcoming Tests against Australia," Rohit noted.

Rohit added that New Zealand would pose a big challenge for his team
"It is a great opportunity and significant opposition. We can challenge ourselves to achieve what we can as a team. They are coming from a good series in Pakistan. At the same time, it is important not to look too much into the opposition. They keep changing, but your planning and execution should not change. That has been conveyed to the team members. The last series was a perfect example, and we played fearless cricket," concluded Rohit.

(With inputs from PTI)