With World Test Championship at stake, no easy games for Rohit Sharma-led India

Mumbai: Rohit Sharma-led India restart their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 campaign against Bangladesh on September 19.

Two-time World Test Championship finalists India, currently at the summit of the WTC standings, are leaving no loose ends ahead of the second leg of their campaign.

Beginning with the two-Test series against Bangladesh, the Men in Blue feature in 10 Tests in the ongoing season, with three more home Tests against New Zealand, and a five-game away series against Australia.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Bangladesh encounter, India captain Rohit Sharma stated that there were no easy games under the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and no series was more important than the other.

“Every game we play is important. No dress rehearsal here (in the context of the Bangladesh series). Every game becomes important because of what is at stake. WTC. The standings table is still quite open. And every game is important,” he said.

Rohit added that India’s focus would be to do well against all opponents irrespective of their strength or conditions.

“We have to focus on how we can win this series, and this Test. Rather than looking too far ahead,” Rohit said.

The series also marks the comeback of batter KL Rahul to the India Test setup. There’s never been a doubt as to Rahul’s class or talent, but an average of 34 in Tests doesn’t do justice to his potential in the format.

Rohit opened up on Rahul’s scenario, hinting that the setup was completely behind the talented batter but it was upon the player to understand his game better at the age of 32 and decide on the direction of his Test career.

“Everyone has an up-and-down career,” Rohit said. “The kind of quality KL Rahul has, everybody knows. The message to him from our side was we want him to play all the games and bring the best out of him."

“He has done well of late, he scored hundred against South Africa. Scored a good knock in Hyderabad, but unfortunately got injured," Rohit said.

“I hope he continues from where he left in Hyderabad. I don’t see any reason why he can’t flourish in Test cricket. Opportunities are there. Important for him to understand how he wants to take his career forward,” Rohit said.

India’s upcoming Test schedule is demanding and might push them to dig deep into their pace resources. For Rohit though, this is a part-and-parcel of the game, and with the up-and-coming talent in the pace ranks, the India skipper is confident that the workload will be manageable.

“You want the best players to play all the games, but that’s not possible. You’ve to see what’s best for the team and manage your bowlers accordingly," he said.

“We’ll monitor that for our bowlers. We’ve managed to do that in the England series. We got rest for Bumrah and Siraj," Rohit said.

“So, we will keep assessing them. You want everyone to play all the games, but it’s not in our hands. We saw exciting prospects in Duleep Trophy. I am not too worried about the kind of bowlers waiting in the wings,” he said.

Rohit also opened up on India’s rising stars: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dhruv Jurel, stating that they had the makings of becoming all-format greats for India.

“They’ve everything that’s required to be a top player for India in all three forms. With time, we’ve to nurture and groom them well. They’re very hungry for success and to play for India," he said.

The trio stamped their authority in India's previous WTC series against England, where the hosts fell 1-0 behind after the first Test in Hyderabad, before fighting back to claim a 4-1 win.

Jaiswal was the highest run-getter in the series with 712 runs, while Sarfaraz and Jurel contributed with crucial knocks at key stages, with the latter also impressive with his glovework.

“Jaiswal had a great home series when we played last time. Jurel showed what he’s capable of as well, with the bat. Getting the tough runs. Sarfaraz as well, being fearless, not being too worried about what happens outside," Rohit said.

“You need all sorts of players who are fearless, cautious and responsible as well. We have that mix of everything and it’s a good sign,” he added.