During the 2023 ODI World Cup, there was a commonality in India captain Rohit Sharma's post-match chats with the broadcasters, which did spark a bit of a murmur in the media. He had refrained from praising his players after each of India's wins in the run to the final, explaining that it was a precautionary step to avoid the words getting into the heads of the cricketers and them being content with their performances. In a nutshell, Rohit and the management were keen on wanting the players to have their focus on the ultimate goal of winning the World Cup and not be satisfied with the outside noise after just one good performance.
On Sunday, after India survived a thriller against Pakistan in New York in their second T20 World Cup group game, Rohit gave a subtle reminder of that practice of his when he stopped himself from speaking about Jasprit Bumrah in the post-match interview.
At one point in the chase of 120, Pakistan were cruising at 80-3 in 14 overs before Bumrah swung the momentum in favour of India by dismissing Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed in a terrific spell. He eventually ended with match-winning figures of 3 wickets for 14 runs in four overs, which comprised 11 dot balls and a solitary boundary.
After the win by six runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, former India head coach and presenter Ravin Shastri asked Rohit about the Bumrah show that helped India escape a massive blow in the T20 World Cup. While the captain did label the fast bowler a "genius," he quickly stopped himself from making any further comment, explaining that he wanted him to continue having that same mindset in the remainder of the matches.
{{/usCountry}}After the win by six runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, former India head coach and presenter Ravin Shastri asked Rohit about the Bumrah show that helped India escape a massive blow in the T20 World Cup. While the captain did label the fast bowler a "genius," he quickly stopped himself from making any further comment, explaining that he wanted him to continue having that same mindset in the remainder of the matches.
{{/usCountry}}"We all know what he can do. Not going to talk too much about him. Want him to be in that mindset throughout the WC. He's a genius, we all know that," he said.
Bumrah was also named the Player of the Match for his stunning performance. This was his second such award in an ICC event, having earlier secured the title following his 2 for 19 against Pakistan in Ahmedabad in the 2023 ODI World Cup.