JOIN USRohit Sharma has a chance to emulate his senior India mates – MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir – to become only the third skipper to have led his side to two IPL titles. The significance of the event wasn’t lost on him but the right-hander maintained a relaxed demeanor at the pre-final press-do here on Saturday. Excerpts:
On the extra three-day rest ahead of the final: It is always good to have breaks especially after the kind of cricket we have been playing over the past four to five months. It is always important to get that freshness back. We all want to be relaxed and rejuvenated before the all-important game. I think the break really helps. You must have seen over the course of the tournament, the breaks have played a huge part. It definitely helps you prepare better. The kind of weather at this point of the year, anywhere you go in India, it is pretty tough. You travel then you play, so it is always good to have a break.
On the adjustments to be made on different kinds of pitches: I don’t see any vast difference. It is just that mentally you got to be prepared. All Indian players have played in this ground a lot so I don’t think it is too much of a difference for us. I understand the foreign players coming from various parts of the world, playing here in Kolkata might find it difficult but again they have played on this ground before. We started our campaign at this venue and we played really well here. I don’t see it as much of a difference.
On the importance of letting the team know that the tournament is not yet over: It is the biggest thing. At the end of the day you have been waiting for this important day which is to get into the final and win the Cup. No matter what you have done in the past, if you don’t win the cup, it doesn’t matter. All your hard work will go in vain. We don’t want that.
We completely agree that we didn’t start off well but we always believed that there is a character in this team and the guys had lot of potential. It was just a matter of time that we put everything on the field and perform to our best which we saw it happening in the second half of the tournament. As a captain it is very important for me to tell the boys and I am sure the boys will understand that. But it is important for me to come out and say that it is the one last effort that we need.
DH News Service