Rohit Sharma will lead India in T20 World Cup 2024, first match will be vs Ireland.
India skipper Rohit Sharma was irritated by a question at Tuesday's India vs Ireland T20 World Cup pre-match press conference in New York.
Rohit, who patiently answered all of the questions, appeared agitated when an Indian journalist questioned his thoughts on the pitch invader during India's first warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1 at the Nassau County International Stadium.
"During the warm-up game, a fan had suddenly come on the ground. The way the security caught him, you were requesting him to take it easy. Can you tell us about the emotion at that time?" the reporter asked.
Rohit made his disappointment clear by letting the reporter know that the question was not as incidents like these should not be promoted.
"Sabse pahle toh main bolunga ki koi bhi aise ground mein intrude na kare. Ye sahi nahi hai aur yeh sawal bhi sahi nahi thha (See, first of all, I would say that no one should intrude into the ground. This is not right. And this question was also not right, because we don't want to promote this thing that who is running and coming to the ground)," Rohit said.
During the warm-up match, a supporter at New York's brand-new stadium broke through security to see Rohit. It occurred during Bangladesh's chase. The fan managed to hug the Indian captain before being caught and handcuffed by two police officers, during which Rohit asked the security guys to be gentle and not hurt the fan.
"I think, players' security is important, similarly, the security of the people outside is also important. We are playing cricket, yes, but for the people sitting outside, it is important for them to understand that there are rules and regulations for every country. It is very important to follow them and understand them. So, that's all I can say. Now, what more can I say?
See, the rules are different in India and here. So, understand the rules, what is there and what is not. See the match, they have made such a good stadium. You can watch the match comfortably. No need to run to the ground, no need to do all this, I think," the Indian captain added.
Rohit was also asked whether such incidents act as a distraction to the player.
The India captain said: "No, no, it's not a distraction. Look, our focus is on some other things. We don't focus on who is running to the ground and what to do. I don't think that any player will be distracted by that. Because a lot of big things are going through their minds. How to win a match, how to make a run, how to take a wicket. I'm sure everyone is thinking about that. So, I don't think that players can be distracted by such things. So, I don't think we can distract the players."
(ANI inputs)