(From left) Ravindra Jadeja, fielding coach T Dilip, Md Siraj and Suryakumar Yadav during a practice session.
PTI Photo
Roshan Thyagarajan, Ahmedabad, DHNS
Ahmedabad: As Rohit Sharma sat in a press conference room which was more a cesspool of sickness and annoying phone calls than a part venue for the World Cup final, he looked at ease despite the gravity of the situation.
With the sound of dry coughs doing the rounds and media managers chasing down ringtones, Rohit took his time for any and all situations - there was a microphone failure to contend with too - to settle down before going on to speak of the magnitude of the situation he and his team find themselves in.
That said, he wanted to get past it as quickly as he possibly could to get around to explaining that the team was not particularly bothered by the situation either.
“No, see, emotionally it’s a big thing, a big occasion, without a doubt, because whatever hard work and dreams you have, you have for this,” said the Indian skipper. “And tomorrow, that day will be in front of us. But see the biggest challenge for professional athletes is how you can put all this aside and focus on their work. So along with me, all the other ten players who will play on the ground tomorrow, their focus will be more on their work for the team, rather than thinking about this being the biggest moment.
He continued: “Of course, it is. There is no doubt. Back of the mind, it is there. You can’t hide from that. But it’s really important to remain calm in such situations because if you are calm and composed, then you can play your role as a team well. You can make good decisions in the pressure situation.
While many players, including Pat Cummins earlier in the day, shied away from answering if this was the biggest event of the lot, Rohit didn’t hold back. “For me, this is the biggest event. World Cup 50 overs. Since childhood, I’ve grown up watching the 50-over World Cup. So, for me, this is the biggest moment. But I know that I have to focus on what my team needs me to do. And I want to put aside everything else for a while,” he said.
Well, that could partly be because of the heavy heart with which he missed out on the 2011 World Cup. Admittedly, that wound hasn’t healed, but this is Rohit’s chance to come a full circle and out on the winning end of it.
“I don’t want to go back there,” he said, squirming in his chair. “It was a very emotional period. I think I’m sure everyone knows about it. It was a very hard time. But again, now I’m very happy that I’m at this stage where I’m leading the team into the final. I never thought it would happen. But things do happen if you wish for it. And if you dream big, all these things happen. So, I just want to keep it nice and relaxed and calm and not get too emotional thinking about what happened in 2011 or what can happen tomorrow.”