'Emotionally it will be a huge game,' says Rohit Sharma ahead of CWC 2023 final

Ahmedabad (Gujarat): Ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, 'Men in Blue' skipper Rohit Sharma said that emotionally it is a huge game for himself and the team.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Rohit said there are big expectations from Team India. He added that it is important for the players to stay focused during the match. The Indian skipper also added that playing the final match of the World Cup will be a big thing for him since he was grew up watching 50-over format cricket.

"See emotionally it will be a huge game. There are big expectations. As a player, it is important for us to keep the focus. Rather than thinking about the occasion. Yes, it remains in the back of your mind we cannot hide away from it. For me, it is the biggest moment. I grew up watching One Day Cricket," Rohit said.

In the 2011 ODI World Cup, the 36-year-old cricketer was not included in the 'Men in Blue' squad and couldn't be a part of the winning team, who lifted the trophy after 28 years at home. In the previous ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2019, Rohit was part of the squad but Team India had to make an exit from the tournament after their heartbreaking loss in the semi-finals.

However, Rohit Sharma has a chance to get hold of the prestigious trophy only if they beat Australia in the upcoming final match of the ongoing ODI World Cup. The Indian skipper accepted that it would be a good match against Australia since both sides have the potential to win the tournament. 

"It is going to be a good final. Both teams have delivered and deserve to be in the final. We will stick to it," he added.

He added that the 'Men in Blue' squad is quite composed and calm before the final match. Rohit added that it is important for them to stick to their strength.

"Come to the ground you will see how it is. Leading up to every game we are quite composed and quite calm. It is important that we stick to our strength, our group. Even on the field when we are being put under pressure then we stay calm," he added.

He added that they prepared for the final game much before. Rohit accepted that they gave everyone role clarity which helped the squad a lot.

"We prepared for this day much before. We played in the T20 World Cup and WTC final. In all three formats, we wanted to choose the right players. We have been doing this for the past two and a half years. We gave everyone role clarity. This has helped us a lot. All this has helped us here so far and hopefully, we will do well in the final too," he added.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (C), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

(ANI)