‘We were told there was a menace’: Rohit Sharma spills secrets of India vs Pakistan clash | Cricket News

Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The anticipation surrounding an India-Pakistan match is not like every other in cricket — a sentiment echoed by followers and gamers alike, due to the extraordinary and historic rivalry between the 2 nations. India captain Rohit Sharma, who has featured in quite a few such high-stakes contests, admitted that the environment round these video games is unmatched.Recalling the T20 World Cup 2024 clash between them, Rohit stated the pre-match setting was like a competition, ranging from their resort and lengthening to the stadium. India received the match by six runs in a low-scoring thriller as Jasprit Bumrah collected the figures of 3-14 to bag the Player of the Match accolade.“Before the India vs Pakistan match, we were told there was a threat – something was going on. So, two days before the game, we weren’t allowed to step out of the hotel. The atmosphere started building from there. We were ordering food in, and the hotel was so packed you could barely walk. Fans, media – everyone was there. That’s when you realise this isn’t just another match – something special is about to happen.“As quickly as we received close to the stadium, it already felt like a celebration – Indian followers, Pakistani followers, all dancing and having fun with themselves. I’ve performed so many India–Pakistan video games now – I’ve misplaced rely – however that pre-match vitality, that feeling… It’s all the time one thing else. Nothing compares to it,” Rohit said on JioHotstar’s special ‘Champions Waali Feeling Phir Se’.In the match, India suffered early blows in Virat Kohli (4), Rohit (13) and Axar Patel (20) however Rishabh Pant played a decisive knock of 42 off 31 balls including six fours to take the side to a respectable total of 119 as no other batter in the middle order was able to reach double figures.

Lauding Pant’s efforts, Rohit said the wicketkeeper-batter played up to his potential and kept them alive on the challenging surface.“We just wanted Rishabh to be Rishabh – do all the things he does best, unsettle the bowlers, play freely. And he did that perfectly. His innings was around 42, and on that pitch, that’s as good as scoring 70. It was a very challenging surface – something was always happening.“The par rating there was most likely 130 or 140. We ended up with 119. Our plan wasn’t to go for 200 – we were aiming for 140. But of course, we misplaced wickets alongside the best way. And that’s when Rishabh performed that essential knock of 40-plus, which actually held issues collectively. Eventually, we received 119 – and I truly felt it might nonetheless be a good rating. Maybe 10–15 runs brief, however I knew that if we received 2–3 early wickets with the brand new ball, that 119 would begin to really feel like 160,” Rohit said.The opening batter went on to heap praise on the pace duo of Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh for successfully defending the total and also highlighting their worth in the shortest format of the game.

“With Bumrah, you’ve got to be proactive in how you use him. He’s a wicket-taker, and at the same time, he’s not going to leak runs. So, how do you balance that, especially when the opposition is chasing at a run-a-ball? Arshdeep has been phenomenal too. Over the last two years, there’s a reason he’s become India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is — he’s a really smart bowler.“So, with each of them, my focus was on learn how to use their remaining overs strategically. You take into consideration which batters are coming in, how would they deal with Arshdeep and Bumrah? On that pitch, it was powerful for brand new batters to settle, so our aim was to drive new guys to the crease. That was the plan,” Rohit concluded.