After inclement weather conditions allowed only 35 overs of play in hte first three days of the second Test against Bangladesh, India adopted a never-seen-before ultra-aggressive approach to snatch a seven-wicket victory in Kanpur, and eventually complete a 2-0 whitewash of their eastern neighbours.
Crediting his players for embracing the risk to force a result, Rohit Sharma felt it was a collective effort from the side that ultimately turned out to be an “exceptional” series for the home side. The clean sweep of Bangladesh also helped India extend their lead at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings.
“The bowlers came to the party first. They got the wickets that we needed, and then when we came inside, we had to take a little bit of risk to get a result. I know the result could have gone either way, but I was okay with it. So was the coach [Gautam Gambhir] and the other players as well because you have to be brave enough to take those decisions and go and play that way.”
“When things fall in place, everything looks good. And that is where it can change quickly, when things doesn’t fall in place. Everybody would’ve started criticising the decision that we took and all of that but what matters is what we think inside this changing room. And that is what mattered. And that is what we went with in this game,” Rohit said.
“It was a clear plan that we want the result, how we can get the result. Everybody started finding answers for that. I think it was an exceptional series. It may go unnoticed,” he added.
India’s new template has been a talking point across the cricketing world with fans drawing a parallel with England’s Bazball.
However, for Rohit, aggression is all about the collective approach of the side with respect to their batting, bowling and field positioning.
“For me aggression is all about your actions,” he said. “It’s not about my reactions: the kind of batting we do, the kind of field positioning we do, the kind of bowling we do; that to me is aggression.
“Look, without the help of the other ten players, and, obviously people who are sitting in the dressing room as well, this wouldn’t have been possible when we had lost two days, two-and-a-half days actually, it’s very easy for everyone to just drift away from the goal that we had of winning this test match. When we came here on the fourth day of the morning, first things first, they [Bangladesh] were batting and we needed to get them out. We needed seven wickets quickly, so I thought everything started there.”
Under Rohit, the Indian team has gone on to reach the ODI World Cup final, besides being the T20 world champions. The 37-year-old revealed that his captaincy is based on trusting his instincts and decisions.
“When you are playing at such a high level, you need to have a bit of everything,” Rohit said.
“You need to be calm, to think wisely. There are a lot of decisions that you have to take on the field. Not every decision will go your way, but you have to back it and use your experience, use your knowledge. So that is what I do. I, I’ve been there enough to trust my judgment that I do take on the field, the decisions that I take on the field, I trust on it. And then, then I go by it. There are players around me who are open to giving suggestions, but at the end of the day, I trust my mind and I trust my judgment, and that’s all that matters.”
Impressed with India’s fielding
Rohit was effusive in his praise for India brilliant fielding, especially their slip catching, during the home Test series against Bangladesh. It was Yashasvi Jaiswal who had set the tone on the first day in Kanpur, where he took a smart, low catch to dismiss Zakir Hasan for a duck. Then, in Bangladesh’s second innings, Jaiswal completed another sharp catch, this time at gully, to send back a well-set Shadman Islam for 50 and hasten India’s push for victory.
“I was just informed out of the 24 catches that came our way, we took 23 of them, which is a great result especially in the slips,” Rohit said.
“You don’t often see in India ball carrying through the slips. But the guys who were standing behind were so sharp and to take those catches, it may look easy on television, but it is not, trust me, because they are standing way ahead than they normally do. So all those catches that come the way, they are very hard to take those catches. The reaction time is very less, and I have seen it. They put everyone puts a lot of effort in getting those things right.
“And the Dilip [T Dilip, fielding coach] obviously is helping with the players. Some crucial catches as well, which actually turned the game around,” he added.