India National Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the upcoming high-octane IND vs PAK match in the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.

Rohit Sharma talked about the match after a dominant win over Afghanistan in their second match of the competition. India absolutely hammered the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side in the match as they first restricted them to 272/8 with the help of Jasprit Bumrah’s 4-wicket haul and then chased down the target with 8 wickets in hand, riding on the magnificent century from skipper Rohit Sharma.

During the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma said that having winning momentum in the initial half of big tournaments is very important. He also talked about playing a fearless brand of cricket. Rohit Sharma said:

“Was a good win for us, very important to get that momentum at the start of the tournament. It is about absorbing pressure and taking the right decision on the field. There will be a spell from the opposition where you will have to absorb pressure. Leading up to the tournament we had played such games.” 

“You have got players with different skill sets in our team. They bring different attributes of the game to the team and it puts you in good positions as a team when you have that. We have got guys who can play fearless cricket with bat and guys who can absorb like the last game.”

For us it’s crucial that we don’t worry about external factors – Rohit Sharma

When asked about the Pakistan clash, Rohit Sharma said that not focusing on the outside noise and the external factors will be crucial for them. Rohit Sharma stated:

“(Asked about playing Pakistan and the talk around it) For us it’s crucial that we don’t worry about external factors and just look at things we can control. We just need to show up and do well. Things like what the pitch is like, what combo we can play is what we can control. What happens outside we won’t be worried about it. It’s just about focusing on what we can do as players and how we can perform.”

Rohit Sharma won the Player of the Match award as he smashed 131 runs off 84 balls, with 16 fours and 5 sixes, before getting dismissed. Rohit Sharma was also involved in a sensational 156 runs partnership with Ishan Kishan and 49 runs partnership with Virat Kohli.

Rohit Sharma talked about his performance and said that smashing a World Cup hundred was special for him but he doesn’t want to think too much about it. Rohit Sharma said:

“It was a good pitch to bat on, just backed myself to play my natural game. I knew once I got my eye in, the wicket was going to get easier for me. Something that I have been working on from a long time. It’s a special feeling to get a World Cup hundred.”

“Really happy with that. Don’t want to think too much (scoring 7 hundreds in just three World Cups), I don’t want to lose my focus. You need to make such things count. You gotta make it big.”

Rohit Sharma further talked about his shot-making in the match. He elaborated:

“Some of it (the shots he plays) is premeditated. I let my instincts take over at times, sometimes it really works well. It’s my job to make sure to get those starts especially in run chases. That’s something I have done in the past and something I love doing. 

“Sometimes it (attacking the bowlers) works, sometimes it doesn’t. Just need to keep doing it and keep putting oppositions under pressure going forward.”

The post IND vs AFG: Rohit Sharma Speaks About Pakistan Clash After Win Over Afghanistan, Says ‘It’s Crucial Not To Worry About External Factors’ appeared first on CricketAddictor.