‘No one is an automatic selection…’: Rohit Sharma conveys a clear message to his players prior to the Asia Cup

Indian captain Rohit Sharma has asserted that no player has solidified their position in the Indian squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup. The team has been grappling with injury concerns surrounding KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, which has prompted the Men in Blue to experiment with various players in different positions.

Rohit believes that the upcoming Asia Cup will present another significant challenge for the Indian team. It will provide them with valuable insights into the optimal batting line-up and team combination. This tournament will serve as a platform for the team to identify their strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to refine their strategies and enhance their performance.

“No one is an automatic (selection), even I am not. We have this thing where nobody is guaranteed a spot. We cannot say that ‘you are there after all’ or things like that. Yes, some players know that they are going to play but at this point in time, playing three ODIs in the West Indies was a good opportunity to look at a few guys. In the Asia Cup, again, we will face good opposition,” Rohit said.

“Shreyas and KL are coming off not playing anything for four months, big injuries, surgeries rather. Both had surgeries. I know, I had to undergo surgery once and how it feels afterwards, it is quite tough. We have to see, how they respond, what they do. The selection (meeting) will be there in a few days, we will have a good debate about what we can do. But honestly nobody is an automatic choice – they all have to fight for the spot – everyone has to, whether it is a top spot or a bottom spot,” he added.

Rohit Sharma is concerned about the Indian team, particularly the batting unit, becoming overly reliant on individual players. To address this issue, he aims to assess how well the players handle pressure in match situations during the upcoming Asia Cup.

“We will see, we want to win but at the same time there are a lot of questions that we need answers of. But in the Asia Cup, I want to see some of the guys batting under pressure against quality teams. It is always nice to have a lot of names, rather than just one or two names. I hope they are fit in time – firstly that is the most important,” he said.

India is set to commence their Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan in Kandy on September 2nd.

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