India’s captain Rohit Sharma highlighted the team’s aggressive strategy in the ODI series against England, emphasising the players’ freedom to adopt their preferred playing methods.
The Indian team completed their Champions Trophy preparations by securing a commanding 3-0 victory over England, concluding with a decisive 142-run win in the final match.
“There is a bit of freedom in the squad to go out there and play the way you want. The World Cup (2023) was a perfect example of that. We want to continue to do that. There will be times it will not fall in place but that’s okay,” said Rohit in the post-match presentation.
Rohit expressed satisfaction with the team’s collective performance and individual contributions.
“Very very pleasing (with the way the series went). We knew there would be challenges that we could face,” he added.
Rohit indicated plans for further improvement ahead of the Champions Trophy starting February 19, without revealing specific details.
“Obviously, there are certain things we are looking at and I am not going to stand here and explain those. It is our job as well to keep some consistency within the squad and the communication is clear. Obviously a champion team wants to get better every game and move forward from there,” he added.
Shubman Gill, who earned both player of the match and series honors, praised his century as one of his finest performances.
“I was feeling good. I think this was one of the better knocks. The pitch was a bit tricky at the start so it’s satisfying. There was a bit for the fast bowlers.
“It was seaming, so the chat was to rotate strike and not lose wickets in Power Play, build on the momentum and take it from there,” he said.
Shreyas Iyer spoke about the positive team atmosphere and momentum building up to the Champions Trophy.
“The dressing-room is electrifying, a lot of energy, everyone in great form, momentum for the Champions Trophy,” he said.
“You could see in the three games how every individual stepped up for the team. Getting those crucial runs and wickets at the right time was important. We have worked a lot on that and as a unit, we are trying to deliver and create that breakthrough that the team needs in imperative time,” he added.
Iyer, who scored two fifties including a 78 in the final match, expressed his desire for a century.
“I wish I could have got a hundred. In the first game, I wanted to take the momentum for our team. I played every ball on its merit. I backed my instincts in the second game before I got run out. But today I got the opportunity to go in on a good platform from Shubman and Rohit,” he added.
England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged India’s superior performance throughout the series.
“We were outplayed by a fantastic team. Our approach is a right one, just that we haven’t executed well. They (India) put a great score on the board. Shubman played a great innings,” said Buttler.
“We got off to a great start again but familiar story again for us. Need to find a way to bat longer. We were up against a really good side that keeps challenging,” he added.
