‘Chilled’ India not worried about Asia Cup defeats: Rohit Sharma | Cricket News – Times of India

DUBAI: Rohit Sharma performed down issues about India’s kind forward of subsequent month’s T20 World Cup after successive Asia Cup defeats, insisting the dressing room environment remained “relaxed and chilled”.
India misplaced their second Asia Cup Super Four match to Sri Lanka with a ball remaining in Dubai on Tuesday to depart their dwindling closing hopes on the mercy of different outcomes.
“You don’t worry if you lose two matches,” Rohit, who smashed a 41-ball 72 in India’s 173-8, advised reporters.
“We don’t talk like this in the dressing room, because we have played so many matches after the (last) World Cup and won. I don’t think it’s a cause of worry.”

If fierce rivals Pakistan — who equally overhauled India with a ball to spare on Sunday — beat Afghanistan on Wednesday, they may knock India out and go on to face Sri Lanka in Sunday’s closing.
“There is no gadbad (Hindi for disarray),” mentioned Rohit. “From the outside it looks gadbad but we have no such feeling. I know how the media reacts when you lose a match and there are questions raised, that is normal. You can look inside the dressing room that the boys are relaxed and chilled.”
Sri Lanka chased down their victory goal of 174 after veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar leaked 14 runs within the nineteenth over, leaving seven wanted off the ultimate six balls.
Kumar had given away 19 runs within the nineteenth over in India’s defeat to Pakistan, who wanted 26 off the ultimate two overs, however Rohit defended his bowler.

“Experienced batsmen get out and bowlers leak runs as well, these things are normal and happen,” mentioned Rohit.
“Bhuvi has been playing for so long, and has worked for us for so many years in the ‘death overs’ and won us games. So we should not judge him on two or three games.”
Up and coming left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh delivered the ultimate over in each matches and confronted a torrent of social media abuse, largely as a result of he’s from the Sikh minority, after dropping Asif Ali on nought within the 18th over in opposition to Pakistan.
Ali went on to smash a match-winning 16 off eight balls, however Rohit insisted the 23-year-old had been unaffected.
“Honestly guys here guys don’t look too much into social media these days. Few losses here and there, one dropped catch, we don’t look too much into it,” mentioned Rohit.

“Yes, he was himself disappointed because it was a catch that could have been taken but again if you saw his confidence when he came and bowled that last over… he is a confident lad.”
Rohit and India, who’ve a poor latest report in world tournaments, are underneath strain to ship on the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November, having gained it solely as soon as on the inaugural 2007 occasion.
They final lifted the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, although they did win the final Asian Cup in 2018, when it was performed in 50-over format.
India did not make the semi-finals of final 12 months’s T20 World Cup within the United Arab Emirates and misplaced within the semi-finals on the 2019 50-over World Cup in England.

“In tournaments like the World Cup, Asia Cup, here the challenge is you face different teams with different plans,” mentioned Rohit.
“We have discussed this in the dressing room that we should be thinking ahead of the opposition and then we will get results,” he mentioned.
“But we should not think about it too much. Yes, pressure is there, and our work is to make the boys realise how to deliver in pressure situations.”