CWC 2023: "It was all about thinking about one game at a time," says Rohit Sharma

BENGALURU: India skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday said that they focussed on one game at a time in the world cup.

After India's 160-run win against the Netherlands at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, Rohit said that they haven't looked too far ahead because it's a long tournament.

Talking about India's performance at the extravagant tournament, he added that they needed to adapt to different venues and they did that.

"Since we started the tournament, for us, it was all about thinking about one game at a time. We never wanted to look too far ahead because it's a long tournament. It was important to focus on one game. Different venues and we had to adapt, that's exactly what we did. Very pleased with how we have played in these nine games. Very clinical from game one till today. That's because different individuals have stepped up at different times. That's a good sign for the team," Rohit said while speaking at the post-match presentation.

Talking about India's performance against the Netherlands, he added that they wanted to play the game on the field with a lot of fun and that was reflected in their performances and that's why they had nine bowlers on Sunday.

"We know the conditions, but when you play different opponents, that's a different challenge. We adapted really well. We started four games in a row and then we had to bat first, seamers did the rest along with the spinners. It's important, results do matter to keep the dressing room environment lively. There's going to be a lot of expectations, we wanted to keep everything aside and focus on the job at hand. We wanted to play the game on the field with a lot of fun and that reflected on our performances. Today we had nine (bowling) options, it's important, this is the game where we could have tried. Seamers bowling those wide yorkers when not needed, but we wanted to do something different," he added.

Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first. They posted 410/4 in the first innings.

Shreyas Iyer (128* in 94 balls with 10 fours and five sixes) and KL (102) led India's onslaught on the Netherlands. But knocks from Rohit Sharma (61 in 54 balls with eight fours and two sixes), Shubman Gill (51 in 32 balls, with three fours and four sixes) and Virat Kohli (51 in 56 balls, with five fours and a six) laid down the foundation.

Bas de Leede (2/82) was the leading wicket-taker for the Netherlands. Paul Van Meekeren (1/90) and Roelof van der Merwe (1/53) also took a wicket each.

In the second inning, the 'Men in Blue' successfully defended 411 runs and clinched a 160-run win against the Dutch side. With the win, Rohit Sharma's side completed nine wins in nine matches and ended the league stage on a high note. Mohammed Siraj led the India bowling attack after he bagged two wickets by giving only 29 runs. Netherlands batters tried to win the game but couldn't stand in front of the Indian bowling attack.