However, for the first time in over a year, India had a full squad at their disposal. Despite underwhelming group matches against Pakistan and Nepal in Pallekele, they managed to regroup and put on the game mask that Rohit has long demanded. In matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Colombo, they showed all the signs of peaking at the right time.
On Sunday, their play was so clinical and ruthless that they won their eighth Asia Cup title in just 21.3 ounces, knocking Sri Lanka out for a measly 50 points in 15.2 ounces and then chasing it down in 6.1 ounces. After their biggest win (228 runs) in terms of runs, in less than a week they had their biggest win in terms of balls remaining (263).
India desperately needed such performances to boost their morale ahead of the World Cup. Of course, there is no guarantee that this triumph will translate into World Cup success, but as a general rule, they have sis horrified by the catalyzer. It gives us a lot of confidence that we can come here and win such a tournament. At different stages of the tournament, we were challenged in different parts of the game and we did quite well in those challenges, he said.
He reflected on the positives. In different conditions and with different types of bowling, we performed well. We can take a lot of positives out of this tournament. Not just one or two players, but the whole team. Everyone who got the opportunity did their job, Rohit said.
Midline settles
While the win on Sunday was resounding, in the two high-pressure matches against Pakistan, the Indian team’s midline looked settled. While Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya managed to take the team to an equal total with Pakistan after overcoming a tough start, the top line showed in the second match that it can play in different roles. Some onShea batters really played under pressure. In the first game against Pakistan, when we were four down, two guys stood up for us. NaRdik (Pandya) and Ishan (Kishan) played brilliantly and that was a big positive because we wanted the middle order to come into the game, take the pressure and play the way they wanted to play, Rohit explained.
Even K.L. Rahul, who returned to the team after a four-month break due to injury, showed why India need him in the middle order where he becomes a force to be reckoned with. Even with gloves on, Rahul has shown exceptional movement behind the wicket. He has also become a reliable back-up for the spinners. For K.L. (Rahul) to score that century ball… it’s very difficult to come into the game and play the way he did. We told him just five minutes before the game started and the fact that he scored a hundred showed the quality of player he is and how mentally ready he is for this challenge, Rohit said.
Choosing Mohammedwith Shami as a back-up player in search of squad depth, the Indian bowling unit has once again shown itself to be a unit. Over the years, this attack has shown its ability to strike in an incomplete lineup. While the story is the same in this case, in terms of the bigger picture, Jasprit Bamra’s aggression and sharpness is encouraging. In the three matches in Colombo, Bamrakh chose his line and length accurately, showed impeccable control of the new ball and hit key shots. Kuldeep Yadav, deprived of the opportunity to play in the middle overs, showed how much he has developed into a leading spinner by taking five wickets in the match against Pakistan before making a quadruple-failure and winning the Man of the Series award.
Rohit praised him. When we put pressure on Kuldeep, he delivers. His confidence is growing every time he plays. When you have a bowler like him in the team, it’s great. When I see bowlers like him, I get immense satisfactionI’m sorry, he said.
The versatility of the attack bodes well for the captain. All five bowlers have a lot of variation. When you get all that as a captain, you feel confident. We have that variety in the team, Rohit said.