India vs Australia, Cricket World Cup 2023 Final, Press Conference Highlights: India skipper Rohit Sharma addressed the media on the eve of the Cricket World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad. Rohit admitted that it is indeed the biggest moment of the players' careers and added that it is time for a final push. The captain also said that it was tough for Mohammed Shami -- who is in red-hot form this World Cup -- to miss out the starting games of the tournament. When asked about India's playing combination for the final, Rohit said that the team has not been finalised yet.
Here are the Highlights of Rohit Sharma's press conference ahead of Cricket World Cup final:
- 18:14 (IST)IND vs AUS, PC Live: "Don't want to get excited and have too much pressure" - Rohit"Before the start of the World Cup. I had plans to play such kind of cricket. I didn't know whether it will work or not. With little freedom I wanted to express myself. During England game also I changed my approach and that is what senior players do. I changed my tactics. I believe in going there and keeping it easy and calm. It will nice to do as we have work hard for it. I don't want to get excited and have too much pressure on it. It is not just me but also player in the changing room."
- 18:04 (IST)Press Conference Live: "Time for a final push" - Rohit"Keeping it nice and easy and calm is what I believe in. I want to say the same thing, it'll be nice to win it because we have worked hard for it. A nice, balanced thinking will be good. There's a laugh going around in the changing room, there's a bit of tensed faces, I am not going to hide it. But that's the beauty of sport. We have to put our game face on. Like I said, playing for India is as good as playing the final everyday. We have enjoyed our journey and time for a final push now,"
- 17:59 (IST)IND vs AUS, Press Conference Live: How is the surface for the final match?"There's a bit of grass on the track. The wicket from India vs Pakistan was a lot drier. From my understanding, it's going to be on a slower side. We'll see the pitch tomorrow and assess. The temperature has dropped a bit as well. I don't know how much of a factor the dew will be. I don't think the toss will play a big role," said Rohit Sharma.
- 17:57 (IST)Press Conference Live: Is there any pressure on India from past?"Whenever we play such a tournament, the current form of players is more important than playing World Cup finals in the past. We have two players from 2011 as well who have been part of the World Cup final. We know how to handle pressure. We want to continue the way we have played so far," said Rohit.
- 17:56 (IST)
- 17:55 (IST)Press Conference Live: 'Tough for Shami to not play initially' - Rohit"It was tough for Shami to not play the initial part of the World Cup. But he was there for the team to help Siraj and Bumrah. That shows the quality of him being the team man he is. We had a chat with him on why he is missing out. But he kept working hard and that shows the kind of mental space he was in before the tournament. It says a lot about him. Once the opportunity opened up for him, he was right there. We can see with his performances."
- 17:53 (IST)Press Conference Live: Rahul Dravid's role absolutely massive - Rohit"Rahul Dravid's role has been absolutely massive, especially in terms of giving role clarity to players. It's quite contrasting in how he played his cricket and how I play my cricket and to agree on certain things, to give us that liberty, that says a lot about him. What he has done for Indian cricket is massive and he also wants to be part of this occasion. Let's do it for him!"
- 17:47 (IST)"This is the biggest moment in our careers," Rohit's honest admission"This is a huge occasion without a doubt. Whatever we have dreamt so far is here. This is the most challenging aspect for professional sportsmen as to how you keep such challenges out of your minds and keep your focus. This is the biggest moment in our careers and it is important to stay calm and composed because that is where you can execute your plans better. You don't get to play World Cup finals daily. I have grown up watching 50-over World Cups so for me it'll be the biggest occasion.
- 17:46 (IST)Press Conference Live: "Our pacers and spinners have been great""The bowlers have done a great job for us in this tournament. We were chasing in the first four, five games and to restrict them to below 300 is not easy in India. Our pacers and spinners have been great. When we were defending as well, they were great. Bumrah, Shami, Siraj have been excellent. The same for the spinners as well when we wanted to take wickets in the middle overs," said Rohit Sharma.
- 17:45 (IST)PC Live: "Being an Indian cricketer, you have to deal with pressure""Leading up to every game, we have been calm and composed about what we want to do. We know what the outside environment is, the expectations and pressure. It's important to stick to our game and this has been happening for a long time. We have worked on maintaining the calmness in the dressing room. Inside what they feel, I don't know, how they'll be feeling. But when in meetings, trainings, everyone is calm. Being an Indian cricketer, you have to deal with pressure," said the India captain.
- 17:43 (IST)Press Conference Live: "We know what Australia can do," says Rohit"Australia have won 8 out of 8. They have played good cricket and both the teams deserve to be in the finals. We know what Australia can do. They are a very complete side. We want to focus on what we want to do. We don't want to worry about what kind of form they are in rather focus on our cricket and plans."
- 17:37 (IST)IND vs AUS Final, PC Live: 'Prepared for this day ever since I became the captain'"We have prepared for this day ever since I became the captain. We had to identify players in the last 2 years, as per the formats. We had given role clarity and lots of discussions between the captain and coach. The importance of role clarity is huge for us reaching this platform. We have tried our best to keep the mindset and roles clear. So far so good, hopefully tomorrow as well," said Rohit.
- 17:02 (IST)India vs Australia Final Press Conference Live: What did Cummins say?Ahead of what is being billed as a mouth-watering finale of the ongoing ODI World Cup between hosts India and five-time world champions Australia, guest skipper Pat Cummins on Saturday said that a "good wicket" may be on offer for the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. He addressed the media early on Saturday.
- 16:39 (IST)India vs Australia Final Press Conference Live: Rohit to address media!This will be India's final pre-match press conference for Cricket World Cup 2023. So far the team has remained unbeaten in the tournament after playing ten matches and winning all of them. Be it inside the ground or off it, the Indian cricket team has been just superb. Rohit Sharma's press conference today is extremely crucial as it would give a glimpse of the team's midset before the final.
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