‘Really enjoyed working with these guys’ – Rohit on the delight of captaining India’s next crop

Captain Rohit Sharma reflected on the well-fought Test series against England and lauded India’s young brigade on their impressive performance.
Despite losing the first Test of the five match World Test Championship series, India fought to win the remaining four with a solid performance, that also helped them climb to No.1

India’s youngsters did the very best against an determined English side, while veterans like R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit himself stood out. The likes of ICC Men’s Player of the Month for February 2024 Yashasvi Jaiswal (712 runs 79.91 in the series), Sarfaraz Khan (200 runs at an average of 50), Dhruv Jurel (190 runs 63.33, five catches and two stumpings), and Akash Deep (Three wickets 27.66) played a big role at key moments of the series.

Rohit was all praise for their attitude, and believes that giving the youngsters a comfortable space helped them perform to their optimum capabilities.

“All these young boys are quite chirpy. Rohit expressed his delight in working with these players and watching them play. “It was quite easy for me cause I knew these boys, barring one or two.

“It was just going and letting them know exactly how great they are and what good things they’ve done before for me. The team and also the situation are different, but everything else must remain exactly the same.

“Rahul (Dravid bhai) and I chatted with them and their response to us was amazing. I thought these guys have been ready for this particular challenge, it was just about going and providing them with that comfort. From our side, we tried that. ”

Rohit also stated that witnessing the debuts of these young players was an emotionally touching moment.

There had been so much emotion and their parents were there too. I’ve even played with Sarfaraz’s father in the Kanga League. He was a ferocious left-handed batsman and was a well – known name in the Mumbai cricketing community. His effort over so many years bore fruits now. So I had to tell him this Test cap belongs more to you than Sarfaraz.

“A great speech was delivered by Rahul bhai for Akash Deep. It was quite overwhelming, you look where the boy was five-six years back, and where he is now. Things like that happen right before your eyes and make you extremely emotional. ”

This was the first series loss for the Test management of England head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. England has played thirteen games, lost four and drawn one prior to coming in India. This number became 14 after an inspirational win in Hyderabad.

However, India didn’t panic after the early defeat and went about their business.

“Losing the very first game is difficult, a great deal of thinking goes into whether you had the best combination or in case you played the right brand of cricket. For us, it was essential to remain calm and allow the discussion to flow, because lots of questions will creep in. We allowed the feeling to sink in and assessed our options for the upcoming Test. It had been crucial to explain to the group that they need not panic. There were four more Tests to go.”

The India skipper then moved onto the crucial moments in the series, and credited performers like Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jasprit Bumrah, and Dhruv Jurel for prevailing in challenging situations.

“There were so many moments where the individuals brought the game back towards us. Unreal was Bumrah’s spell at Vizag in the second Test. A fast bowler will find it challenging on a flat surface ranging from 35-36 degrees. That kind of spell, getting the ball to reverse, brings you into the game.

“Then there was this innings from Jaiswal, wherein he got a double hundred in Vizag. He got half the runs for the side in that innings. The next best score was 30 or 40. The second Test was crucial for us, and someone has to hold up that hand. Bumrah and Jaiswal stood up for us in that Test.

“Throughout the series, you saw Jadeja and Ash deliver for us with the bat, and as they’ve done for so many years with the ball. As a captain, when you want the wicket, they get you that.”

Rohit reserved special admiration for Kuldeep Yadav, who came into his in this particular match, both with the bat and the ball.

“To me that most pleasing was Kuldeep Yadav. In those four Tests he took crucial wickets. I can recall Zak Crawley’s wicket in Vizag. In Rajkot, he got us Ben Duckett’s wicket when he was set and batting on 150. Even in Dharamsala, he got Zak Crawley again who was batting on 70-odd or something.

“But what pleased me even more was his batting. It was pleasing to see him receive the reward with the bat after having worked hard.

Rohit marked out the resilient 76-run stand between Jurel and Kuldeep in Ranchi, which helped lift India from 177/7 to 307 in response to England’s 353, as the series-defining moment. After reducing the deficit to 46 runs, India’s spinners bowled out England cheaply in the third innings and eventually sealed the game and the series by five wickets on fourth day.

It was a series-defining partnership – Jurel – Kuldeep’s partnership in Ranchi. It won us the series, because otherwise we would’ve been 2-2. And in the fourth innings, (Shubman) Gill and Jurel also crafted a crucial partnership after we lost three quick wickets, and won us the game.”