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India might be an indomitable force at home, but captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said he wouldn't want to label themselves as "unbeatable" and they need to play consistent cricket to trump England in the five-match series. The first Test between India and England will start here from Thursday, and Rohit said his primary focus is the strategies of his side.
Earlier this week, uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir was effectively ruled out of the first Test of England's tour of India, starting Thursday in Hyderabad. Bashir, a 20-year-old player of Pakistani heritage, was forced to return home to resolve visa issues. As a result, he was unable to join the rest of the squad flying to India from a training camp in Abu Dhabi. England captain Ben Stokes expressed his frustration on the matter, saying that he felt bad for Bashir. India captain Rohit Sharma also hoped Bashir's visa issue could be resolved as soon as possible.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday admitted that the team management had a tough time making the third spinner choice between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for the opening Test against England but hinted that the former might just have made the final cut. Behind Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India are primed to pick a third spinner for the first Test against England, starting here from Thursday.
India pacer Jasprit Bumrah remains one of the most sought-after talents in the game. His speed, variations and accuracy make him an asset across the three formats of the game for Team India. Bumrah has also been seen as a captaincy option in the longest format of the game, and he has led the team in one Test, against against England. With captain Rohit Sharma well into thirties, the team management is looking for his successor in the long run. Bumrah, who is already a leader in the team, is open to taking up the responsibility if offered again.
Legendary India cricketer Farokh Engineer said that England should be afraid of Rohit Sharma and Co irrespective of whether they adopt the Bazball approach or not. During the BCCI Awards 2024, Engineer received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and during his speech, he praised the current Indian team as the 'finest' he has ever seen. He praised Rohit as well the duo of Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri for their work as the team's head coach. The former wicket-keeper batter also said that he hopes the matches in the upcoming Test series between India and England will last for five days unless they end in the hosts' favour.
BCCI Awards 2024 Live Updates: BCCI Awards 2024 ceremony has begun in Hyderabad. India men's cricket team, including skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and others are present at the venue.
Rohit Sharma was on Tuesday named captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year, which featured five other Indians including star batter Virat Kohli and the pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. The team mostly included the World Cup finalists -- India (runner-up) and Australia (winner) -- besides players from semi-finalists New Zealand and South Africa, the ICC said in a statement. The top order includes openers Rohit and Shubman Gill. While the Indian captain accumulated 1,255 runs at an average of 52 last year, the latter struck a brilliant 208 against the Kiwis and also finished as the highest run-scorer (1,584) in the format.
England fast bowler Mark Wood on Tuesday said taming Rohit Sharma with judicious use of short-pitched balls will figure highly in his and the team's plans to edge past a dominant-at-home India in the upcoming five-match Test series. The first Test is scheduled to begin here from Thursday, and Wood said the nature of pitches, even if slow, could abet the strategy. "Yeah, the conditions will be assessed once I am out there, and bumps (bouncers) are rarely bought out here. But the pitch sometimes can be two-paced and, if it is slow, it can help (bowlers) because the batters will be through with the shot," Wood said in a press conference.