Ahead of India's all-important World Cup semi-final against Australia, opener batsman Rohit Sharma on wednesday said the team knows how to win crunch matches at big events and this would be a big plus for the side when it takes on the co-hosts at the SCG on Thrusday.
With the likes of Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin knowing what it takes to win a 50-over World Cup while Rohit being a part of World T20 and ICC Champions Trophy triumph, the Mumbai opener feels that India will have that advantage going in their favour. "I think so because we all played big games.
Even Champions Trophy in 2011, so it brings the best out of everyone during those big matches. So, yes, we look forward to this and hopefully it will be an exciting contest," Rohit told mediapersons at the pre-match conference. For Rohit, enjoying each other's success has been key to this turnaround after a dismal show in the early part of the Australian Summer.
"We will enjoy each other's success more than ever. Be it batting or bowling. As I said at the start, we have played in big matches so we know what it takes to come out as a winner.
So hopefully, we'll have a good start tomorrow. That's going to be very crucial whether we bat or bowl, we have to start the game very well. Then you'll see.
"As the game progresses, we will see where we stand at that point in time and then think about it and analyze. I'm sure we'll all be prepared and geared up and ready to go," Rohit said. The SCG is a happy hunting ground for Rohit as he shot to fame with an unbeaten half-century in a CB Series final in 2008.
Talk about that and the stylish batsman is a bit nostalgic. "Well, it's been a long time now, seven years. It's still fresh in my memory.
It was the first final and I was batting alongside great Sachin Tendulkar. So, there is no way I could forget that. It was an important game.
We had to win that game, and we were chasing I think 240-odd. As a batsman, over the years, I've learnt a lot of things," Rohit fondly recollected. As he has said many times, Rohit again reiterated that opening in ODIs changed his game and approach as a whole.
"Certainly batting up the order has changed my game and my approach towards the game and making me more responsible. So every time I go out there to bat, I always think that I will have to play as many overs as possible. I really enjoyed the last couple of years of batting top of the order".
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