Xtra Time Web Desk: The word ‘experimentation’ has been the key word for the Indian team in recent times. The team management has been randomly picking and dropping players with a vision to get the right balance leading up to the T20 World Cup in Australia starting in October. Captain Rohit Sharma though insisted that the team combination is more or less settled going into the T20 World Cup. Rohit admitted there will be some soul searching to do and strike the right balance for T20 World Cup.
“There are a lot of questions we need to answer, and along the way, in the three-four series we’ve played, we have found some answers. There will be a time where we will draw a line and say, ‘this is the combination we want to play for the World Cup.’ After this, we have two more series and then the World Cup,” Rohit Sharma said at the post-match press conference after the loss to Sri Lanka in Super 4 clash of ongoing Asia Cup 2022.
There were some questionable decisions both on and off the field. For instance, Deepak Hooda was picked ahead of Dinesh Karthik and not given a single over.
“Today Hooda was there, but both their right-handers (openers) were set, and I didn’t think I could bring him on then because we were looking to take wickets through our attacking spinners Ashwin and Chahal,” Rohit referred to the 97-run opening stand between the Sri Lankan openers Pathum Missanka and Kusal Mendis. If we had got early wickets, I wanted to bowl Hooda, he was in my plan,” Rohit said about not bowling Hooda in the middle.
Talking about the sixth bowling option, Rohit said, “Yes, we have a sixth bowling option, but we also wanted to try out with five options and see what happens and what doesn’t happen. Sixth option is always nice. When we play the World Cup it will be at the back of our mind to play with six options.”