India captain Rohit Sharma has said that the entire team will do their best to end the ICC trophy drought when they turn out in the upcoming World Cup 2023 which will be played in India from October 5 onwards.
The mega ICC event will start with New Zealand taking on defending champions England in Ahmedabad. India will begin its World Cup campaign against Australia on October 8 and will face Pakistan in Ahmedabad, probably on October 14.
India has not won an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy win and the pressure is real on Rohit Sharma and co. to win this tournament, especially since it is being held at home and the last time India hosted the World Cup in 2011, they emerged victors.
Captain Rohit Sharma said that the team will try their best to create the best chance to win the trophy for India.
“ICC tournaments are the ones you need to win, We will try our best like any other year to have the best chance to win the Trophy for India,” Rohit said on the inauguration of his cricket academy in the USA.
He also talked about the Gabba Test match against Australia in the 2020-21 Australia tour and called it India’s biggest Test victory. India had entered into the Test match with the four-Test series 1-1 and the majority of its main players like Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Hanuma Vihari injured, and Virat Kohli had flown home after the first Test.
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This led to Washington Sundar, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, and T Natarajan making their Test debuts for India in the series. Even Shardul Thakur played the second Test of his career in Gabba.
Rohit Sharma said, “Gabba Test match is the best Test India has ever played. With 8-9 players injured, most difficult conditions, youngsters coming in against strong Australia and won there which was unbelievable.”
Rohit Sharma also opened up on Mumbai Indians as the franchise has been unable to perform for last few years. The MI skipper believes that it will change very soon.
“Mumbai Indians haven’t won in the last few years but I think it will change very soon – winning 5 titles in 10-11 years is memorable but credit should be gone to management, players, and whoever worked with the franchise” added Rohit Sharma.
Furthermore, Rohit called Sachin Tendulkar his idol.
“Sachin Tendulkar is my idol, I always looked at him when I was young – he batted against Wasim, and Waqar all at the age of 16 without much protection like we have now, he is always an inspiration,” Rohit signed off.
