Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has denied that he was attempting to "throw" his wicket when playing aggressively against Sri Lanka in the recent ODI series, in which Team India lost 2-0. Instead, he wished to maintain the momentum and score as many runs as possible.
Rohit struck two half-centuries and a quickfire 35 (20) in three matches, leading India in each. His batting strike rate of 141.44, the highest in the series, ensured India's consistent fast starts, but the middle order failed to capitalize on them as batting became more difficult against spin on slower surfaces.
"My personal effort was to ensure that I scored as many runs as I could. It was not as if I wanted to throw my wicket away after the powerplay. I wanted to continue the momentum and intent, but I unfortunately got dismissed while trying to play a few shots. My batting plan is pretty simple and straightforward,” Rohit Sharma said in a post-match press conference as per ESPNCricinfo.
“I knew that the runs that will be scored during the powerplay will be critical. I knew that the wickets would get a little slow after that, the ball would turn a bit, and even the field is spread out. When there were only two fielders outside the ring, we had to take our chances. I took those chances whenever I felt that I could put the bowler under pressure. All the runs that you score over and above that, it benefits the team to play the remaining 40 overs," he added.
Sri Lanka used the opposite approach, being conservative in the powerplay and ensuring that at least one of the top three batters scored well so that the middle order could work around him.
The tactic worked for Sri Lanka as they weren’t bowled out once in the series, while India lost all 30 wickets in the three ODIs. Rohit believed that the difference was also in the approach to spin, with Sri Lanka performing considerably better with unconventional shots.
"They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances. There weren't a lot of runs scored down the ground. They didn't use the feet as much as we expected. It was about using sweeps and piercing that deep square leg and midwicket field. That is something we failed to do as a batting unit. We didn't play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps, or paddle sweeps, and used our feet too much. That was the difference.
All in all, we need to admit where we have made mistakes, we didn't dominate against spin. On such wickets, you need to dominate a bit and the Sri Lankan spinners had consistently kept us under pressure in all three games," he added.
India will have only three more ODIs in February next year before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
