File photo of Indian cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma© AFP
The Indian cricket team received a massive boost ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2023 as the Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Sri Lanka comprehensively in the final to clinch the Asia Cup 2023 title on Sunday. The win made Rohit Sharma one of the most successful captains in Asia Cup history as it was his second title and 10th match win overall. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that there is no doubt currently over Rohit’s captaincy but warned that a bad World Cup outing can change it.
“There was never a doubt about Rohit the captain. He won 5 IPL titles. Many didn’t even win once. But his real test will come in the next 15 days. You have your best 15-18 players in the dressing room now. If they cannot deliver they there will be question marks. After every World Cup, if the captain is unable to deliver then questions will be raised. Virat Kohli faced it. Rahul Dravid faced it in 2007. If India fail to deliver in 2023, then questions will be raised on Rohit’s captaincy. But this team has the ability to make the World Cup final,” he said during his analysis in the aftermath of the match on Star Sports.
India’s crushing victory over Sri Lanka on Sunday for their eighth Asian crown with a bowling masterclass from Mohammed Siraj gives skipper Rohit Sharma confidence ahead of the World Cup.
Siraj returned figures of 6-21 as India bundled out Sri Lanka for 50 in 15.2 overs and won the lop-sided final by 10 wickets in Colombo.
Indian bowlers led by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Kuldeep Yadav stood out in the 50-over tournament, which served as a tune-up for the ODI World Cup starting October 5 in India.
“It gives us a lot of confidence to come here and win a tournament like this,” Rohit told reporters after the title win came in just 116 minutes of play.
“At various stages of the tournament we were challenged in different parts of our game and we stood up to those challenges against various conditions, various bowling types.”
He said, “We can take a lot of positives from the tournament, not just for one or two players but for the entire squad. They did their job.”
(With AFP inputs)
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