Playing four spinners against Australia ‘tempting’, says Rohit

Kuldeep Yadav. | Photo: ANI

Rohit Sharma hinted that the team could play four spinners against Australia in the semifinals, as it did against New Zealand on Sunday. Varun Chakaravarthy replaced Harshit Rana for the game and made a case for including him in the knockout fixture after scalping his maiden five-for (in ODIs).

“We need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze them in,” said Rohit after his side’s 44-run win over the Kiwis. “Whatever works for us in terms of bowling options, we will try and do that. But it is tempting.”

“We want to go back and think about what the Australian batting lineup will look like and see what kind of bowling options will work against them,” he added.

The skipper was also pleased with the performance of the middle-order — led by Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel, who bailed out the side from 30 for three to post a competitive total.

“Absolutely brilliant for us today (on Sunday) in terms of the middle-order getting that opportunity to try and set up the target under pressure. They are very experienced in terms of the games that they have played, but getting some batting time in the middle, getting those runs, and a fighting total was important.”

The 37-year-old was pleased that his side had won a game batting first after successfully chasing targets in the first two outings.

“It was the perfect game we wanted. We wanted to test everything we have in terms of our bowling options, the middle-order getting to bat long enough, and setting up the target as well. We wanted to bat first and see how that turns out for us, because it’s important to know what kind of conditions are there when you bat first.”

Rohit stressed the importance of staying calm during key moments while taking on Australia.

“It’s a great opposition to play against. Australia have been such a great team over the years. So, we can expect some fight backs and some nervy times in the middle,” he remarked.

“All we have to do is what we have been thinking in the last three games and approach the game in a similar fashion. We understand the opposition and how they play. But I think the more we focus on what we need to do as a group, as a player, as a batting unit, as a bowling unit, that will help us a lot.”