"His intent is very important" - Sreesanth on Rohit Sharma's clutch knock in IND vs ENG match of 2023 World Cup
Former cricketer S Sreesanth lavished praise on Team India skipper Rohit Sharma for his impressive knock on a challenging pitch in the 2023 World Cup tie against England in Lucknow on Sunday.
Sreesanth reckons that Sharma's form will be key for Team India, given that the opening batter has shown great intent at the top. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, here's what Sreesanth said (4:48) about the ace batter's performance:
"India posted a small total, but even for that, Rohit Sharma's 87 runs were very, very important. He was very judicious in his approach. I hope he keeps scoring because his intent is very important."
Although Rohit Sharma missed out on a well-deserved century, Sreesanth suggested that the team winning the game is much more important than personal milestones. He added (3:40):
"It doesn't matter if you perform well but the team loses. The team has to win. Some people like those records and go behind them, but at the end of the day, winning has to be the most important thing. If one of your colleagues is doing better than you, it's good for the team after all."
Rohit Sharma played a captain's knock under pressure against England. His 87-run knock was instrumental in India posting a fighting total of 229. The side ultimately secured a comprehensive 100-run win by bundling out the defending champions for just 129 runs.
"Whether India finish first or fourth, it doesn't matter" - Gautam Gambhir on Rohit Sharma and company being table-toppers
Team India are currently the only unbeaten team of the 2023 World Cup. With six wins from as many outings, they are comfortably placed at the top of the point table.
Gautam Gambhir highlighted that the side's confidence will get a significant boost with how they have dominated the opposition. However, he suggested that the table-topper tag won't hold much importance towards the business end of the marquee tournament.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, he explained:
"Who doesn't want to be at the top of the table? But it's not important that you are at the top of the table. What is important is the kind of cricket that you play. You could have been at the top even after losing a match. But the way India have dominated in this tournament should boost the team's confidence."
"Whether India finish first or fourth, it doesn't matter. Ultimately, it is all about the semi-final and final. The points table doesn't matter to me. What matters is the kind of cricket India have played to secure these points," he added.
Rohit Sharma and company will be seen in action on Thursday, November 2, when they take on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.