Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are chalk and cheese when it comes to personas and methods, but are united in their goal to take Indian cricket forward. Ahead of his debut as Test captain, Rohit said it was his aim to continue Kohli’s good work.
“As a Test team, we stand in a very good position,” Rohit said. “In the last five years of our Test cricket, what he (Kohli) has done for the team is brilliant. I just have to take it forward.”
“Of course, we are somewhere mid-table in the World Test Championship but honestly, I don’t see anything wrong [with us]. We want to improve in every game we play and that’s our benchmark.”
Rohit is an accomplished limited-overs captain, and though leading in red-ball cricket is a different challenge, he stated that his philosophy would remain the same. “It’s a different ball game, [but], my philosophy will remain the same — to stay in the present. It’s a five-day game and there is a lot of analysing. My philosophy is to not think too far ahead. It will be a challenge, but it’s exciting and I really cannot wait.”
Door not shut, yet
Rohit also said the door was not shut on Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. “What Pujara and Rahane have done can’t be described in [mere] words. Playing 80 and 90 Tests, those overseas victories and India getting to No.1 in the Test format… these guys played a big part in that. They will definitely be part of our plans [in future].”
On his part, Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne felt his side was capable of springing a surprise, like it had in February 2019 by winning a Test series in South Africa. “I think we can do something, just as we did in South Africa. We were underdogs then too, and had nothing to lose, and we produced our best. We’ve never won in India, so the pressure is on India to not let anything slip. Our job is to use that to our advantage.”
