Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar commended captain Rohit Sharma for giving his batters the opportunity to play freely. The appreciation came after their second consecutive overwhelming victory over Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup.
Over the previous two years, Rohit took on the all-out attack mantra, as seen by his strike rate skyrocketing to 114 since 2022. The 36-year-old batter’s attitude has had a huge knock-on impact on the rest of the players, who can now express themselves consistently.
Bangar is reported on Star Sports’ Follow the Blues as saying:
“If a player is hesitant to play his shots, then he will never be in a position to play according to his game plan. Rohit has encouraged them to play their shots, and told them at the most what’s going to happen is they are going to get out, nothing else.”
Sanjay Bangar
Bangar also stated that captain Rohit Sharma developed a same attitude among the bowlers.
“And if it’s a bowler, the worst is probably he’ll go for a few extra runs. That helps the players to develop a mindset where one can tame their fears, and helps them play their natural game. So he gives them the advantage of believing in themselves, by giving them freedom and backing,”
Sanjay Bangar
Team India has been in fantastic form, winning the Asia Cup and the subsequent ODI series against Australia.
Rohit Sharma became the joint-fastest to 1,000 World Cup runs in the team’s most recent win over Afghanistan. He also beat Sachin Tendulkar’s World Cup century record of seven tons.
“We’ll have not 2 or 3, but more than 5 match winners” – Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar noted former opening batsman Virender Sehwag and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as examples of the right mentality for match-winners.
While Sehwag batted with a strike rate of over 82 in Tests, Pant had a strike rate of 73.63 in the red-ball format. The duo was frequently permitted to play their shots from the start, even in Tests, something Bangar believes should be granted to numerous more players in order to produce more match-winners.
“If one does get out playing bad shots in a couple of matches, it does hurt. Two players come to mind as the biggest example for this is Virender Sehwag. When he used to play his shots he looked fabulous, but he even got out playing unusual strokes. Rishabh Pant is also very similar. If that kind of mindset is developed amongst all players in the team, we’ll have not 2 or 3, but more than 5 match winners,” Bangar said.
Sanjay Bangar
After their first two World Cup games, Rohit Sharma and company are one of just four teams that are still unbeaten.
On Saturday, October 14, Team India will play its following match against Pakistan in Ahmedabad.