'Very Clinical From Game One': Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma Lauds Team After Unbeaten Group Stage Run

Team India polished off an incredible group stage performance with nine wins out of nine in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as they beat the Netherlands by 160 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.

India put up a total of 410 runs in 50 overs before they bowled the Dutch out for 250 runs in 47.5 overs to head into the semifinals of the tournament unbeaten.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who made 61 runs off 54 balls said that the unit wanted to take things one game at a time since the beginning of the event.

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“Since we started the tournament, for us, it was all about thinking about one game at a time. We never wanted to look too far ahead because it’s a long tournament. It was important to focus on one game,” the captain said.

“Different venues and we had to adapt, that’s exactly what we did. Very pleased with how we have played in these nine games,” he added.

Rohit also mentioned that the tournament has brought out exemplary performances from everyone in the set up including bowlers and the batsmen.

“Very clinical from game one till today because different individuals have stepped up at different times. That’s a good sign for the team.”

“We know the conditions, but when you play different opponents, that’s a different challenge. We adapted well. We started four games in a row and then we had to bat first, the seamers did the rest along with the spinners.”

Rohit also said that the winning momentum helps keep the dressing room morale up and boosts confidence going into the upcoming game.

“Results do matter to keep the dressing room environment lively. There’s going to be a lot of expectations, we wanted to keep everything aside and focus on the job at hand. We wanted to play the game on the field with a lot of fun and that reflected on our performances.”

Rohit and Virat Kohli both had a go with the ball in their hands against the Dutch on the day and both came back with a wicket as the skipper dismissed Teja Nidamanuru, while Kohli scalped Scott Edwards.

“Today we had nine bowling options, this is the game where we could have tried. Seamers bowling those wide yorkers when not needed, but we wanted to do something different,” he concluded.

India take on New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in the semifinal of the ICC Blue Ribbon event on the 15th of November.

Dutch skipper Edwards spoke highly of team India after their final game in the ICC showpiece stating, “India are as good a side as there is going around. They showed pure class with the bat, there’s plenty to learn from that. They are going to be an extremely hard side to beat in this tournament.”

“There were periods where we bowled well, they just soaked up the pressure. If you’re three down with 10 overs to go, you’re gonna make some runs.”

The Netherlands registered two wins from their nine games at the tournament, including the memorable win over heavyweights South Africa.

“We played two good games of cricket and gave ourselves opportunities in other games which we’d have liked to win. A little bit of a tricky one to say where we were compared to where we wanted to be. We were pretty confident with the style we played. Coming into the tournament, we knew it was going to be a tough tournament,” Edwards said.

Edwards also expressed that the Dutch looked forward to improving as a unit ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in the year 2024.

“We’ve got a lot to learn, and a lot to get better before the T20 World Cup next year. We are a very young side, with a lot of young guys in the set-up, it is about growth for us. We’ve got some training camps and things like that are coming up. In terms of fixtures, not that sure.” he concluded.