Pune, Oct 26 (UNI) Team India captain Rohit Sharma, responding to India’s 0-2 series loss to New Zealand, has called for calm introspection and personalised guidance for players instead of drastic changes or excessive analysis.
“You don’t need to overreact. But you need to have a quiet chat with certain individuals and let them know where they are at and what, as a team, we require from them,” Rohit shared in the post-match press conference.
Rohit clarified that formal one-on-one reviews weren’t necessary, emphasising that individual discussions could address performance concerns effectively. “I don’t think you need to make them sit in a team room on a one-on-one basis and go through their innings and tell them this is what you should be doing. I don’t think this is the right forum to do that,” he asserted.
In a message of reassurance, Rohit stressed that a series loss does not mean a need for drastic changes but rather an opportunity to adapt.
“Just because we have lost a series, I don’t think there is anything that we need to talk differently or do differently. But yeah, we need to find ways to come out of those situations,” he said, expressing confidence in his players’ abilities.
The captain also underscored the importance of each batsman trusting their own plans, pointing to New Zealand’s example.
“I do not doubt anyone’s ability. I won’t do much postmortem of this, but batsmen must come with their plans and trust in the plans like New Zealand batters showed,” he said.
India’s recent defeats have seen limited impact from key players such as Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit, however, reminded critics of India’s strong track record at home, winning nearly 80% of their 54 home Tests over the past decade.
“Look at the number of games we have won in India… out of 54 Test matches we have won 42. That’s nearly 80% of the Test matches we have won,” Rohit noted. “Of course, you lose a series here and there. For a good 12 years, we had that great run which meant that we were doing a lot of good things in those periods.”
India will look to bounce back from this setback, guided by Rohit’s reminder of the team’s proven strengths over the years.
