Rohit Sharma, India's captain, was at his oratory best as he handled questions from the media ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh. This match will be played in Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium from September 19 onwards.
The second and final Test of the series will be played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.
Team India will return to action after a 45-day sabbatical, while Bangladesh is coming off a 2-0 away Test series victory over Pakistan. Bangladesh, on the other hand, would face a very different and far more formidable battle in India, where Rohit and his team presently lead the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
Rohit is also aware of the threat Bangladesh possesses. However, India's skipper came up with a safe response when asked about Bangladesh's recent form.
"Sabhi teamo ko India ko harana hai, unhe India ko harane me maza ata hai, maze lene do unko (let them have fun), we will focus on how to beat them. We need to win the match and that's what we are here for. We can't think about what they have to think and say about us. When England came here, they said a lot of things too. But we didn't focus much on it. We needed to deliver results and that'll be our aim here as well. To play good cricket. India have played against a lot of teams recently and our combined aim is to win, rather than keep thinking about the opposition," Rohit said in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Bangladesh has never beaten India in a test match. After Bangladesh, India will host New Zealand for three more Tests before traveling to Australia for the highly awaited five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Rohit Sharma emphasized that India would not make the error of taking Bangladesh lightly and that the series beginning Thursday and the one following against New Zealand next month are not 'dress rehearsals' of any kind.
"Every Test match is a big one. We are playing for the country there is no dress rehearsal happening. Every game is important. Because of what is at stake – WTC. The table is quite wide open. You want to play every game. We want to win here. Focus on winning the Bangladesh series rather than looking too far ahead. We are resuming after a long time. Nice to have everyone back. When it starts, we have to see where we stand and then take it from there," he added.
It's never easy for a group of players coming after a month-long sabbatical to get back into the rhythm right away. Rohit is well aware of this and has admitted that jumping into Test cricket right immediately will be against the rules.
However, the captain is reassured by the notion that players have previously faced similar situations and have successfully found a way out.
"It's always tough to come back after a break. The good thing is a lot of guys are experienced with that. This is not the first time that we haven't played for a long time. Which is why it was important to have this camp in Chennai. We came on the 12th and had a good time. So yeah, it is tough, but people are experienced in the sense that they know how to manage themselves well. And guys who haven't played much Test played played the Duleep Trophy. So, in terms of preparation, we are ready for the game," Rohit mentioned.
When asked if India's victory in the T20 World Cup will take the monkey off their back and allow players to play with more freedom, Rohit stated that there is no fixed formula.
"I know there was a lot of chatter about the ICC tournament. If we don't win, talks will happen. We shouldn't have lost and all that. With India, it's a different ball game. I'm an Indian cricketer so can only talk about India. Every series becomes important. We want to win and there's no way that just because we won, we can sit back and enjoy. We, as cricketers, have limited time to play and make an impact. So you have to do your best. That's what runs in mind most of the time," Rohit concluded.
India is currently first on the WTC 2023-25 points table, while Bangladesh is at the 4th place.
(JioCinema inputs)
