Team India concluded its last bilateral action before the 2023 World Cup with a 2-1 series win over Australia. The series ended on a disappointing note with India losing by 66 runs in the final match in Rajkot on Wednesday, but a series win will still keep Rohit Sharma’s team in a good position heading into the World Cup. India will face England in their first warm-up match for the tournament on September 30 and ahead of this important tournament on home soil, former India opener Virender Sehwag has given a piece of advice to the team.
Sehwag was part of the team that won the World Cup in 2011 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni; The former opening batsman was crucial to India’s campaign, giving the team great starts in important matches throughout the tournament. Sehwag had made a strong start to India’s campaign by scoring 175 runs against Bangladesh in Dhaka. In a conversation with Cricbuzz, the former opener opened up about Team India’s off-the-field approach throughout the World Cup and how Rohit Sharma’s team can benefit from it.
Interestingly, Virat Kohli is the only member of the 2011 World Cup squad who is still a part of the team. Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin – who was also a member of the 2011 squad – was recalled for the ODI against Australia.
“When our team meeting was held, we decided that we will not read newspapers, will not listen to outside noise. We will not do anything that can increase the pressure. This became a rule and almost everyone followed it faithfully. We stayed together, tried to have fun and do team-building exercises. Because in such long tournaments it is easy to get separated. Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni made sure we stayed together,” Sehwag insisted.
“Before and after the matches, we would meet. And we would talk mostly on cricket. At dinner, the topic was cricket strategies. I would give suggestions. This was a big reason behind our World Cup win. Of course, There was pressure on us. Be it in the flight, CISF personnel, in the hotel, managers and waiters… everyone kept saying, ‘Win the World Cup’.
Rohit led India positive before World Cup
India may have suffered a defeat in their final ODI before the World Cup, but Rohit Sharma is positive about the team’s preparations for the prestigious tournament. This month, India performed brilliantly to win the Asia Cup before defeating Australia 2-1 in the ODI series.