IND in SL: I don’t think we put them under pressure, says Rohit Sharma

Stumped! Riyan Parag is left bewildered as Jeffrey Vandersay bowls him out.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India captain Rohit Sharma hinted that his team would not be afraid to make personnel changes, if necessary, to ensure the team stays competitive in all conditions following India’s 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in the three-match one-day series that concluded on Wednesday (August 7, 2024).

It was the Men in Blue’s first bilateral ODI series loss against the Lankans in 27 years, and the batters’ inability to play on the spinning pitches at R. Premadasa Stadium cost the visitor the series.

“Somewhere, we need to think about what we can do and which players should be given opportunities on such wickets,” said the ace batter after the match.

“Although, when you are playing on such challenging pitches, it is important to have consistency in team selection. If you give players only one or two opportunities, it isn’t easy to manage such situations. It has been a poor series for us.

“We need to be clear about how we want to play and keep the momentum towards us while playing on pitches like these,” he added, indicating that a review of what needs to be done will be conducted.

“We have to talk about it and let the players know what we want. If we have to be a little different in choosing the personnel, we have to do that, unfortunately. We will try to see how we can be a good team in all conditions, not just on good or seaming pitches, but also on pitches that turn a bit.”

The skipper also expressed disappointment at his side’s conservative approach against the home team’s spinners, who scalped 27 of the 30 wickets in the three matches.

“I don’t think we were brave enough throughout the series to put them under pressure. On these slow pitches where some balls are turning and some are not, you have to go in with a game plan. At the same time, you also need to play your shots. If you think you will defend all six balls, it may not be possible,” Rohit explained.

The 37-year-old was the only Indian batter amongst runs, scoring two half-centuries and spoke about what the batters need to do to succeed on such pitches.

“It comes down to individual plans. If the pitch suits your plan, take it on. If it isn’t, then what are the options?

“Come down the track, push for singles and follow the basics of batsmanship on slow surfaces. We have grown up on slow pitches. It is about having a plan and believing that is good enough to come out on top on pitches like that.”

He also contrasted Sri Lanka’s approach to the conditions and said there were things that India could have learned from it.

“They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances and piercing that deep square-leg and deep-midwicket field.

“That is something we failed to do. We didn’t play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps or paddle, and didn’t use our feet much. That was the difference,” said Rohit.