Rohit Sharma urges India not to think about trophy drought ahead of T20 World Cup semi-final
- Planet Sport writer
- 26 June 2024
India captain Rohit Sharma has urged his side not to let the pressure of their decade-long trophy drought distract them from the task at hand in their T20 World Cup semi-final against England.
The game's financial powerhouse has failed to deliver a major global trophy since 11 years ago, finishing as runner-up the 2014 edition of this tournament, two World Test Championships, the Champions Trophy in 2017 and last year's 50-over World Cup.
They have also experienced their share of semi-final heartache as the hunt for silverware goes on but Sharma wants his side to take on England in Guyana with nothing but the match itself on their minds.
Having won all six completed matches so far in this campaign, he sees no reason to let the bigger picture knock his team off stride.
"Everyone knows in the back of their mind it's a semi-final but you don't want to keep talking about it again and again and again," he said.
"We want to treat this game as any another game that we have played in this tournament. We don't want to think about what lies ahead and what is the context of the game and all of that.
"The entire group is in a good frame of mind, we are playing well as a team, enjoying each other‘s company and enjoying each other's success.
"I think it's important to just carry on that, carry on from what we've been doing in this tournament.
"We don't want to be thinking too far ahead, which is the final, we don't want to think about all of that. It's a knockout game.
"Sometimes if you think too much, sometimes you then will not be able to make the decisions that you want to make on the field."
The nature of the pitch, where spin bowlers have tended to thrive, has handed India a potential edge over England and there has been some speculation they could go all in.
They have already have a trio of spinners in their XI, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja backing up Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, but have also been carrying leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as back-up.
If he was to get a chance anywhere, it would be at the Providence Stadium against England.
"Teams bring five seamers in the squad and that doesn't mean they will play all five seamers," Rohit added.
"There is no secret. If we will feel it necessary to play four spinners then we will play them but we will assess and see what is the right combination."
