Middle order auditions continue under Rohit
dubai — InDIA mAy HAvE turnED up HErE wItHout tHEIr mAIn mAn VIrAt KoHlI But lIkE tHEy sAy, tHE sHow must Go on.
A GruEllInG sCHEDulE oF BEInG on tHE roAD AnD lIvInG out oF A suItCAsE HAs mEAnt KoHlI EnJoys tHE ComForts oF HomE, EvEn IF For A BrIEF wHIlE, But InDIA’s quEst For A sEttlED squAD For tHE WorlD Cup wIll ContInuE unDEr stAnD-In CAptAIn RoHIt SHArmA.
So, tHE AsIA Cup, For All IntEnts AnD purposEs rEprEsEnts A lABorAtory or sorts, to ContInuE tHAt ExErCIsE BEForE tHE BIGGEst sHowpIECE ComEs ABout In EIGHt montHs tImE In CrICkEt’s spIrItuAl HomE.
AnD RoHIt, wHo CAptAIns tHE sIDE AGAIn AFtEr A suCCEssFul NIDHAs TropHy In SrI LAnkA In MArCH tHIs yEAr, sAID As muCH wItH AuDItIons onGoInG For tHE No.3, 4 AnD 6 slots.
THErE ArE A lot oF spots up For GrABs No.3, 4, 6. All tHEsE Guys (KL RAHul, MAnIsH PAnDEy, AmBAtI RAyuDu, DInEsH KArtHIk AnD KEDHAr JADHAv) ArE EyEInG tHAt,” RoHIt sAID As InDIA trAInED At tHE ICC CrICkEt ACADEmy on tHE EvE oF tHEIr opEnInG GAmE AGAInst AssoCIAtEs HonG KonG, on MonDAy.
“WE’vE Got to sEE wHAt tHE BEst ComBInAtIon CAn BE For tHIs pArtICulAr sErIEs. WE wAnt to GIvE CHAnCEs to As mAny Guys As possIBlE, mAkE surE tHAt No.4 AnD No.6 spot Is sEAlED. A lot oF Guys HAvE plAyED tHAt posItIon, AnD oF CoursE, GoInG ForwArD, wE wAnt EvErytHInG to BE sEttlED. THIs tournAmEnt GIvEs opportunItIEs to Guys to ComE plAy tHE CrICkEt tHEy lIkE to plAy AnD sEAl tHE spot. I woulDn’t sAy It’s A ConCErn,” HE ADDED.
RoHIt CAutIonED tHouGH tHAt tHE tInkErInG woulDn’t Go on For lonG AnD tHEy woulD BE strIvInG to put tHE mIssInG pIECEs toGEtHEr As soon As possIBlE. “IF you look At tHE FuturE, oF CoursE, you wAnt your tEAm to BE sEttlED. EvEn tHE Guys wHo ArE EyEInG tHosE spots, tHEy wAnt to BE sEttlED. NoBoDy lIkEs BEInG DroppED AnD tHEn BrouGHt BACk. WE wAnt EvEryonE to FEEl sAFE AnD sEttlED, so tHAt tHEy CAn plAy FrEEly,” sAID RoHIt.
RoHIt HAs CAptAInED tHE MumBAI InDIAns In tHE IPL AnD morE rECEntly In tHE NIDHAs TropHy But tHE AsIA Cup wIll BE HIs first BIG tournAmEnt. AnD tHE 31-yEAr-olD ADmIttED HE Is BotH ExCItED AnD nErvous As HE kEEps tHE sEAt wArm For KoHlI.
“CAptAInCy Is A BIG rEsponsIBIlIty. I’vE DonE It BEForE In A sErIEs, But tHIs Is A vEry BIG tournAmEnt For mE. I’m quItE ExCItED. A BIt nErvous, oBvIously, But vEry ExCItED. It’s An ImportAnt tournAmEnt, AnD I’vE plAyED wItH tHEsE Boys quItE A BIt, so wE unDErstAnD EACH otHEr. I’m lookInG ForwArD to It,” RoHIt sAID.
FACED wItH BACk-to-BACk to fixturEs AGAInst HonG KonG AnD tHE olD EnEmy PAkIstAn, not to mEntIon tHE EnErGy-sAppInG HEAt, InDIA, In All proBABIlIty wIll BE rotAtInG tHEIr lInE-up. AnD Also, wItH tours oF AustrAlIA AnD NEw ZEAlAnD on tHE HorIzon, tHEy ArE lIkEly to try AnD IntEGrAtE somE nEw FACEs lIkE KHAlEEl AHmED. THE lEFt-Arm pACEr Is An ExCItInG prospECt AnD onE wHo CoulD pErHAps fill In tHE sHoEs lEFt By ZAHEEr KHAn. AnD RoHIt wAs quItE ExCItED ABout tHE 20-yEAr-olD AnD EAGEr to sEE HIm In ACtIon.