Captain Rohit Sharma has warned his teammates not to rest on past laurels and focus on the challenge ahead. The veteran batsman has said it is now time for the team to put last month’s T20 World Cup victory behind them and begin their preparations for the upcoming assignments.
India ended their 11-year wait for an ICC trophy by winning the T20 World Cup in June. The Men in Blue had not won the T20 World Cup since 2007, while their last victory in an ICC competition was in 2013. They finally ended their long wait by winning the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
Following the victory, there was a huge celebration in the country. Rohit Sharma now believes that the team needs to move on and focus on the challenges ahead. Speaking to the media ahead of the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma started by saying that he enjoyed his time off and also said that he enjoyed the celebration in Mumbai and Delhi. He further said that the team now needs to move on instead of dwelling on the past.
“I had a great time without playing cricket. It was a great feeling to come back home after winning the World Cup… what we experienced in Delhi and Mumbai. But yes, now we have to move on, cricket moves on,” Rohit was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Everything we have done in the past was good for that particular period of time, but time keeps moving forward and we must keep moving forward as well,” he added.
We have to think about what lies ahead: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma said that Team India had employed a similar strategy after the heartbreaking loss against Australia in the final of last year’s ODI World Cup. Rohit said that though the team was very disappointed with the loss, they had no other option but to move on. He was also quick to mention that the Champions Trophy is approaching and Team India needs to prepare for it.
“That’s what happened after the 2023 World Cup. There was a lot of disappointment, but we had to move on and look ahead to this World Cup.
“Now that the T20 World Cup is over, we have to think about what lies ahead for us as a team. Yes, there are a lot of things to look forward to, a big tournament is coming up,” he added.
Meanwhile, the upcoming ODI series will be India’s first to feature in such matches this year. India have not played any ODI match since the series against South Africa in December last year. On the other hand, Rohit has not played an ODI since the World Cup final in November.
