Ind vs Ban – Rohit Sharma – ‘You want the best players to play, but that doesn’t happen’

“We have set plans on how we will handle these bowlers,” said Rohit. “But again, it all depends on the work they carry in these games. So, we will monitor that. I think we did that well. Even when we played against England, we played against England. [at home, earlier this year]we managed to get Bumrah’s one Test match out. We were able to give Siraj one Test off.

So it all depends on how the body feels at that moment, what [strength and conditioning] that, and how the physios feel about them, when is the right time to give them a break from the game, and then take the call.”

India wrap up the two-Test series against Bangladesh on October 1 and have a few weeks’ break from red-ball cricket before taking on New Zealand in a three-match series that will see them enter early November. After that they will head to Australia where they will play five Tests in eight weeks.

“You want your best players to play every game, but that is not possible because there is a lot of cricket going on,” said Rohit. “It is not just Test cricket, there is T20 cricket happening [against Bangladesh and South Africa] in the middle of the Test series again. So you [have] you have to understand everything, then see what is best for the team and manage the bowlers accordingly.”

“We have a lot of skaters representing us,” he said. “We have seen exciting prospects in the Duleep Trophy as well. I am not too worried about the type of bowlers waiting for us in the wings.”

“The staff is new, but I know both Gautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar,” Rohit said. “I played a little bit of cricket against him [bowling coach] Morne Morkel; we played tough cricket against each other. I also played, maybe a few games, against it [assistant coach] Ryan [ten Doeschate]but both of us have never talked that much before. From what I experienced with him in Sri Lanka, I think he has a good sense too [an] understanding of personality, given how quickly he began to understand things about the group.

“About Gambhir and Nayar, as I said, I know them well. Sri Lanka was the first series [with them in charge]and now they will play their second series with the team. Everyone has their own style. Rahul [Dravid] byeVikram Rathore, [and] Paras Mhambrey – they had a different way of managing the team, [while] these guys will have a different style.

“So it is important that you prepare. So far, there are no problems or problems as a player. As I said, if there is an understanding between the two. [coaches and players]that’s what matters most. And we have a good understanding.”

India does not see the domestic series as preparation for the challenges it will face abroad.

“Look, at the end of the day, you’re playing for your country,” Rohit said. “So there’s not that kind of stuff going on here. Every game we play is important, and every game becomes important because of what’s at stake. [In the] The World Test Championship, the table is still very open, and you want to win every game. So it doesn’t matter where we play in two months. We want to win here. We want to win this Test match.”

That’s why they reached Chennai a week before the start of the match, so that they could have the best preparations.

“We met here on the 12th, and had a good time spending many hours in the field, [and] to put it all together. So yes, it is difficult. But look, now people are very knowledgeable, very well behaved. Even the boys who haven’t played much Test cricket, obviously went on to play the Duleep Trophy, which was good.

“So in terms of preparation, [and] in terms of preparation, I feel like we are ready for this game and what awaits us. So it was a good little preparation that we had before this Test match. It was important to use that time, and I thought we made good use of the little camp we had in Chennai. “