‘We are ready for this game’ – Rohit Sharma talks about mental space of senior members who didn’t play Duleep Trophy

Indian cricket skipper Rohit Sharma addressed the media ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh. The game begins on Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. While some of the players recently featured in the ongoing Duleep Trophy, the senior members haven't appeared in any red-ball game for a long time. 

When asked about this, Rohit Sharma said “We had a break. Important to have a camp. We had good time spending time on the field, getting this back together. It’s tough. Guys who didn’t play a lot played Duleep Trophy. We are quite ready for this game and what lies ahead. It was important to utilise this little camp in Chennai pretty well."

It was earlier reported that Rohit and Virat Kohli could play a few games in the tournament. The two stars along with Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin though were rested to manage the workload but are set to be back in action now. Mohammed Shami is the only player who is yet to make his comeback as he is still recovering after suffering an injury last year. 

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Rohit Sharma taking Bangladesh challenge seriously

The Press conference began with Rohit Sharma being asked if this was a rehearsal for the Australian series. Indian skipper declined the notion and said “No dress rehearsal, Every game is important. Doesn’t matter where we play. We want to win, want to win this Test and the series. Not looking too far ahead. It’s nice to have everyone back and start the season on a high”

Bumrah is coming back after a long break post the T20 World Cup. R Ashwin hasn’t played for India since the England Test match in Dharamshala. Mohammed Siraj missed the Duleep Trophy due to injury. The press quizzed Rohit how the team is managing the workload of the bowlers. 

Rohit replied “Want our best players to play all the game but it’s not possible. You’ve to see what’s best for the team and manage your bowlers accordingly. It all depends on the workload that is being carried by them. We will monitor that, we’ve been doing that well”

India’s skipper also added “Against England, we gave breaks to Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj. So, we will keep assessing them. You want everyone to play all the game, we’ve got a lot of bowlers. We saw exciting prospects in Duleep Trophy. I am not too worried about the kind of bowlers waiting in the wings”

When asked about the challenge posed by Bangladesh who recently beaten Pakistan 2-0, Rohit Sharma replied “Every team wants to beat India, they all enjoy that, lene do maze (let them enjoy). We have played lot of cricket against variety of teams. We will focus on our own game”