"We knew there'll be pressure on us" - Rohit Sharma reacts after India beat New Zealand to make it to 2023 ODI World Cup final
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has admitted to being under pressure in the semi-final clash against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, November 15.
Defending 397 runs, Mohammed Shami got the team off to a brilliant start, dismissing both openers. But Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson brought the Kiwis back into the contest, adding 181 runs for the third wicket.
The Indian bowlers were put under pressure by the Blackcaps coupled with a few missed fielding opportunities before Shami brought the hosts back into the contest.
Rohit, who has played at the Wankhede all his life, stated that teams always need to be on their toes at this venue. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma said:
"I have played a lot of cricket here, you cannot relax. You got to get the job done as quickly as possible. We knew there'll be pressure on us. We were calm even though we were a bit sloppy on the field. These things are bound to happen, glad that we could get the job done."
"When the scoring rate is above 9, you gotta take chances," he continued. "They gave us chances, we didn't take them., Mitchell and Williamson batted brilliantly. We had to stay calm. The crowd went silent, that's the nature of the game. We knew we had to pull something from our sleeves. We tried everything and Shami was brilliant."
Shami returned with 7/57 in his 9.5 overs to put the Men in Blue into the final. The Bengal pacer now has 23 wickets from six matches, the most by a bowler in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
"We wanted to do what we've been doing in the first nine games" - Rohit Sharma
Team India skipper further asserted that they didn't do anything different, given that it was a knockout game. He was happy to continue what the team has been doing in the league games.
"Today, I wouldn't say there was no pressure," Rohit said. "Guys were doing the job. We wanted to do what we've been doing in the first nine games. Things came off really nice."
Team India will meet the winner between South Africa and Australia in the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday (November 19).