Using India’s aggressive approach in the ODI series against England as a case in point, skipper Rohit Sharma said players have the “freedom” to adopt their own methods and the management is not overly worried about occasional failures. India rounded off their preparations for the upcoming Champions Trophy with 3-0 rout of England, and in the final match they demolished the visitors by a massive 142-run margin. “There is a bit of freedom in the squad to go out there and play the way you want. The World Cup (2023) was a perfect example of that. We want to continue to do that. There will be times it will not fall in place but that’s okay,” said Rohit in the post-match presentation.
He was very happy with team putting up a collective show and everyone putting up satisfactory performances.
“Very very pleasing (with the way the series went). We knew there would be challenges that we could face,” he added.
Without going into specifics, Rohit said India will be looking to further improve their game with the Champions Trophy, beginning on February 19, in mind.
“Obviously, there are certain things we are looking at and I am not going to stand here and explain those. It is our job as well to keep some consistency within the squad and the communication is clear.
“Obviously a champion team wants to get better every game and move forward from there,” he added.
Player of the match and series, Shubman Gill said the hundred was one of his better knocks because there was some help for fast bowlers initially.
“I was feeling good. I think this was one of the better knocks. The pitch was a bit tricky at the start so it’s satisfying. There was a bit for the fast bowlers.
“It was seaming, so the chat was to rotate strike and not lose wickets in Power Play, build on the momentum and take it from there,” he said.
Momentum for CT: Iyer
Shreyas Iyer said the team will take a lot of momentum from the series win to the upcoming Champions Trophy.
“The dressing-room is electrifying, a lot of energy, everyone in great form, momentum for the Champions Trophy,” he said.
“You could see in the three games how every individual stepped up for the team. Getting those crucial runs and wickets at the right time was important. We have worked a lot on that and as a unit, we are trying to deliver and create that breakthrough that the team needs in imperative time,” he added.
Shreyas, who made two fifties in the series including a 78 here, rued the fact that he could not get a hundred.
“I wish I could have got a hundred. In the first game, I wanted to take the momentum for our team. I played every ball on its merit. I backed my instincts in the second game before I got run out. But today I got the opportunity to go in on a good platform from Shubman and Rohit,” he added.
We were outplayed: Buttler
England skipper Jos Buttler said his side was “outplayed” by India throughout the three-match series.
“We were outplayed by a fantastic team. Our approach is a right one, just that we haven’t executed well. They (India) put a great score on the board. Shubman played a great innings,” said Buttler.
“We got off to a great start again but familiar story again for us. Need to find a way to bat longer. We were up against a really good side that keeps challenging,” he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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