India suffered a heartbreak in the final of last year’s ODI World Cup against Australia.© AFP
India skipper Rohit Sharma is looking to cash in on the opportunity of lifting the T20 World Cup 2024, after suffering a heartbreak in the final of last year’s ODI World Cup against Australia on home soil. India’s 12-year wait to get their hands on the coveted World Cup trophy ended on a bitter note as Travis Head’s (137) blitz extended Australia’s record-breaking tally to six. With the T20 World Cup set to kick off in June, Rohit talked about overcoming the nightmares of the past and seizing the opportunity that lies ahead of them.
“The 50-over World Cup is the biggest World Cup for me. It’s not that I don’t give importance to the T20 World Cup and the World Test Championships. But, we grew up watching the 50-over World Cup. And when it takes place in India, it’s a very big event. We tried. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win. The whole team was sad. I am sure all the fans were sad too. But we have one more opportunity now and we’ll focus on how to use that opportunity and win the World Cup,” Rohit said as quoted by Sports 18.
The Indian team along with the fans were left after India’s loss, India speedster Mohammed Shami was unable to pinpoint what went wrong during the match.
Rohit along with many other players left the field distraught and with tears in their eyes. Next week India returned to play a five-match T20I series against Australia and won the series by 3-2.
The Indian skipper stated that he doesn’t feel any player needs motivation as they are willing to leave their mark and want to make the most of the opportunity.
“I don’t think anyone here needs motivation. All the boys want to leave their imprint. Not everyone gets a chance to play for India, so I am sure all the boys who are here, want to make the most of it. You can see that they are making the most of the opportunities they are getting. That makes my and Rahul bhai’s (Dravid) job a lot easier from that perspective. We just need to provide clarity,” Rohit added.
Rohit featured in a T20I game after spending more than a year away from the format in the recently concluded series against Afghanistan. With two ducks to his name in the first two games, Rohit went on to score a record-breaking 121* off 69 deliveries. Afghanistan managed to draw the game and force the clash to super over. The first super over ended on level terms, but in the second Rohit’s fireworks and Bishnoi’s composure saw the hosts clinch the series by 3-0.
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