"The guy who is having a good day needs to make sure he gets the job done for the team" - Rohit Sharma on India's win over Pakistan in 2023 ODI WC
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was all-praise for his side's all-round performance that led to a dominant eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Electing to bowl first, Team India were looking shaky in the first half of the innings as Pakistan were looking to post a huge score from a platform of 155-2. However, the host bowlers fought back strong to trigger a collapse, which ultimately led to the opposition being bowled out for 191.
Jasprit Bumrah was the pick among the Indian bowlers with figures of 2-19 off his seven overs. The rest of the bowling attack also chipped in with the wickets to bowl out Pakistan with more than seven overs to spare.
The Men in Blue made easy work of the chase. Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with 86 runs off 63 deliveries, while Shreyas Iyer also scored an unbeaten 53 to help India secure the win.
Praising the bowlers for bouncing back from a difficult situation in the first innings, Rohit said during the post-match presentation:
"The bowlers were the ones who set the game for us today as well. Restricting them to around 190 was a great effort. I don't think it was a 190 pitch. At one stage we were looking at 280 or 270. They were 155/2. But the way they came back and showed grit tells a lot about the guys who were out there."
"That is something we pride ourselves in - whoever gets the ball does the job for the team. We've got six individuals who can do the job for us with the ball. It cannot be everyone's day every day. The guy who is having a good day needs to make sure he gets the job done for the team," he added.
With the win, Team India move to the top of the 2023 ODI World Cup points table on the basis of having a superior net run rate. The Men in Blue are currently undefeated in the tournament along with New Zealand and South Africa.
"We don't want to get too excited or too low as well" - Rohit Sharma on Team India's strong start to the 2023 ODI World Cup
Team India have ticked off all the boxes in the early stages of the tournament and are slowly coming across as the team to beat. The hosts have made easy work of two strong teams in Pakistan and Australia, and have looked strong across all three departments so far.
Asserting that India are focused on remaining calm despite the near-invincible start to the tournament, Rohit Sharma stated:
"We don't want to get too excited or too low as well. We want to stay balanced and that's the key playing a tournament like the World Cup. We've got to keep calm, keep it balanced and keep moving forward."
Further stating that Team India are looking forward to playing quality teams in the tournament, Rohit added:
"I've said it quite a few times now - we wanted to play against a quality opposition and that's how we want to look at this World Cup. Every opposition is a quality opposition and can beat you on a particular day. What has happened in the past or what will happen in the future doesn't matter. We've got to do well on that particular day."
Team India are next scheduled to play Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday, October 19.