Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

Rohit sure of transition from IPL

- HT Correspond­ent sportsdesk@hindustant­imes.com n

Guys like Shreyas, Manish, Kedar and Dinesh haven’t got enough games on the trot and we want to make sure they get games continuous­ly.

On the fringe players › Every series he has played, he has come up with new strategies, new plans. It is good to see he has matured as a bowler.

On Jasprit Bumrah

DHARAMSALA: Rohit Sharma is in the hot seat now. The duration maybe short, for only three OD Is and threeT20s, but the new India captain has his thought process clear.

Ahead of Sunday’s first ODI against Sr iL an kai nD ha rams ala, Rohit acknowledg­ed he has several youngsters in his side who are either in their initial days in India colours or have been irregular in the line-up. Ahead of 2018, when India will mostly tour abroad, Rohit wants those players to get an extended run.

“It is important to give these guys a fair amount of games before they prove themselves. It is important they get enough games and gain confidence. There are guys like Shreyas (Iyer), Manish (Pandey), Kedar (Jadhav) and Dinesh (Karthik) who haven’ t got enough games on the trot and as team management we want to make sure they get‘n’ number of games continuous­ly ,” Rohit said on Saturday.

PERFORMANC­E THE KEY

“They also understand that they need to perform; there is a lot of competitio­n in the middle order, in fact everywhere, and they have to grab the opportunit­y and make it to the 11. We want to ensure they get that confidence by getting a number of games under their belt and it is up to them what they do with that opportunit­y.”

After having guided Mumbai Indians to three Indian Premier League (IPL) titles, leading India may be a bigger task but Rohit said the process is similar.

“It will be a different ball game altogether. But the process and basics of captaincy remains the same. We have different set of players than the IPL team but having played with these guys for some time now, I do understand their strength sand weaknesses ,” he said.

“I don’t need to change anything. I just need to carry on from where we left as a team. Yes, IPL and internatio­nal cricket are completely different; the pressure and mindset of the players are absolutely different. I will (also) not change much. I will try to be in the present and make those changes when necessary .”

BUMRAH’SGROWTH

Rohit was effusive inhisprais­eof his Mumbai and India team mate Jasprit Bumrah, who got his maiden call-up in the Test team for the South Africa Test series starting on January 5.

“He( Bu mr ah) has played with me in Mumbai and I have seen him grow in every game. Every series he has played, he has come up with new strategies, new plans. It is good to see he has matured as a bowler. He understand­s what he needs to do and what the team expects out of him,” said Rohit.

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