Men's ODI WC: Pressure is mandatory for Indian cricketers, hope we have some luck in knockout matches

Mumbai, Nov 14 (IANS) Pressure is a mandatory part of being an Indian cricketer because of the huge expectations from the fans and therefore the team is not facing any extra pressure ahead of their semifinal clash with New Zealand in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, said India captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday. 

The India captain, however, hoped that having achieved their first aim of qualifying for the knockout stage in style, India would enjoy some luck in the knockout stage.

India take on New Zealand in the first semifinal and are the favourites to win as they qualified for the knockout stage with an unbeaten record,  winning nine matches in a row. 

" There is always pressure on Indian cricketers, it is like mandatory for an Indian cricketer because the fans want you to score a hundred or take five wickets in every match. So, there is no extra pressure and the players, whether they have played 200 matches or five, know how to handle it," said Rohi Sharma in the pre-match press conference here on Tuesday.

Rohit said all they want to do on Wednesday is to follow the processes they have put in place and do their best in the field 

"Every player has been assigned a role and they know what they have to do. We have followed that system in the matches so far. We have backed players as per the roles assigned to them," said Rohit Sharma.

The India captain said the past record of the two teams would not mean much and what should matter on Wednesday' is how the teams perform on that day. 

India has not defeated New Zealand in a knockout match in ICC events and have an inferior head-to-head record in World Cups.

He said the players involved when India' lost to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semifinals have learnt their lessons from that match but those will not matter because the players are different on both sides.

The India captain refused to compare his Indian side with the sides that played in the 2011' 2015 and 2019 editions and declare which was more dominant.

"I was not there in the 2011 side (which won the World Cup) and though I played the 2015 and 2019 editions, I was not part of the leadership group, so I would not like to compare and say which one is better," said Rohit.

--IANS 

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