Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that the team wants to win the ICC World Cup 2023 for the head coach Rahul Dravid.
Rohit wants to win World Cup for Dravid
India is set to face five time champions Australia in the finals of the World Cup 2023 edition. They have been running an unbeaten streak by winning 10 matches in a row. On the other hand, Australia reached the finals by defeating South Africa in the semifinals.
Speaking on the pre match conference, the skipper Rohit Sharma made it clear for his side about their victory in the finals. They will be aiming to lift the title for the third time in the history.
He wants to win the title for the head coach Rahul Dravid. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have different ways in their batting philosophies as they were like both side of coin.
Dravid used to involve in anchoring and rotate the strikes in the ODIs while Rohit Sharma prefers to unleash a barrage on the bowlers, taking the attack to the opposition form the first ball.
Dravid had a career strike rate of 71, while Rohit Sharma has a strike rate of 91. Despite the different ways, if they join forces, they will be a test to the theory of opposite poles attracting.
Rohit made tribute for his coach during the eve of the World Cup final. “what he has done for Indian cricket is massive. And he also feels that he wants to be part of this big occasion. And it’s for us to do it for him.”
“There’s one thing for me to think about and the other thing for the coach to not agree to certain things. Clearly, looking at how Rahul bhai himself has played his cricket and how I am playing these days, obviously it’s quite contrasting. For him to agree and give me that freedom and liberty to go and play the way we want to play, that says a lot about him.
“Also, the way he stood by the players in difficult times where during the T20 World Cup, we had a good run up until that semi-final and we lost and how he reacted to certain situations and informing the players about this is what we are looking at and all of that says a lot about him as well.”
“If you have decided something we have to go and implement that,” the captain said. “Obviously, the roles have been given to certain individuals as to what their roles are for this team and what can benefit the team. And I think 99.9% we played that brand of cricket. 1% that 0.1% I have taken out because you cannot always be perfect.
That’s why I have just taken out that 0.1% but I am very pleased with the messaging that Myself and Rahul has given to the boys and boys have responded to that pretty well.”
“Without worrying about their place in the team, without worrying about the scores that they get, and without even worrying about what happens outside.
That is the most important part, because that environment that we’ve created is a very special one and we want to maintain that environment as long as possible and not get faced by what happens outside or what people talk or if the score doesn’t come from individuals, I don’t want them to change the thought process that they were in before the start of the tournament.
So, all those things are very clear with everyone. And I thought in this entire 10 games that we played; we were quite straightforward with that thought,” Rohit elaborated on the point.
“I did want to play in a certain manner. I had no idea that it was going to come off or what if it doesn’t come off. I had plans for both, if it comes off what I’m going to do in the next game, if it doesn’t come off what I’m going to do in the next game.
“But like see for me what is important is because I start the innings, there is a bit of freedom there for me to go and express myself but you must have seen in that game against England where I had to change my game a little bit once we lost a few wickets and then I had to change my game a little bit. I’m prepared to do that as well. That is what the experienced player needs to do,” the captain concluded.
India and Australia will be facing each other in the finals stage on November 19 at Narendra Modi Stadium.
