India captain Rohit Sharma has credited his players for embracing the risk involved in forcing a result in the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur, where there was no play for two days because of rain. Overall only 35 overs were bowled across the first three days, but despite that, India found a way to beat the weather, clock, and Bangladesh for a 2-0 series sweep, which extended their lead at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings.
After India's attack bowled Bangladesh out for 233 in the post-lunch session on day four, Rohit laid down the marker by launching the first two balls he faced for sixes. The other batters also bought into this approach, even if it mean that the result might go either way.
"The bowlers came to the party first," Rohit told bcci.tv. "They got the wickets that we needed, and then when we came inside, we had to take a little bit of risk to get a result. I know the result could have gone either way, but I was okay with it. So was the coach [Gautam Gambhir] and the other players as well because you have to be brave enough to take those decisions and go and play that way. When things fall in place, everything looks good. And that is where it can change quickly, when things doesn't fall in place. Everybody would've started criticising the decision that we took and all of that but what matters is what we think inside this changing room. And that is what mattered. And that is what we went with in this game.
"It was a clear plan that we want the result, how we can get the result. Everybody started finding answers for that. I think it was an exceptional series. It may go unnoticed."
Under Rohit, India have adopted an aggressive approach across formats, even at World Cups, and it was no different in Kanpur, where WTC points were up for grabs. So, what does aggression mean to Rohit?
"For me aggression is all about your actions," he said. "It's not about my reactions: the kind of batting we do, the kind of field positioning we do, the kind of bowling we do; that to me is aggression.
"Look, without the help of the other ten players, and, obviously people who are sitting in the dressing room as well, this wouldn't have been possible when we had lost two days, two-and-a-half days actually, it's very easy for everyone to just drift away from the goal that we had of winning this test match. When we came here on the fourth day of the morning, first things first, they [Bangladesh] were batting and we needed to get them out. We needed seven wickets quickly, so I thought everything started there."
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Both as a batter and leader, Rohit has transformed India into prioritising winning over everything else. He said that his captaincy style is based around trusting his judgement and decisions.
"When you are playing at such a high level, you need to have a bit of everything," Rohit said. "You need to be calm, to think wisely. There are a lot of decisions that you have to take on the field. Not every decision will go your way, but you have to back it and use your experience, use your knowledge. So that is what I do. I, I've been there enough to trust my judgment that I do take on the field, the decisions that I take on the field, I trust on it. And then, then I go by it. There are players around me who are open to giving suggestions, but at the end of the day, I trust my mind and I trust my judgment, and that's all that matters."
Rohit: Some crucial catches turned the game
Rohit was also impressed with India's fielding, especially their slip catching, during the home Test series against Bangladesh. It was Yashasvi Jaiswal who had set the tone on the first day in Kanpur, where he took a smart, low catch to dismiss Zakir Hasan for a duck. Then, in Bangladesh's second innings, Jaiswal completed another sharp catch, this time at gully, to send back a well-set Shadman Islam for 50 and hasten India's push for victory.
"I was just informed out of the 24 catches that came our way, we took 23 of them, which is a great result especially in the slips," Rohit said.
"You don't often see in India ball carrying through the slips. But the guys who were standing behind were so sharp and to take those catches, it may look easy on television, but it is not, trust me, because they are standing way ahead than they normally do. So all those catches that come the way, they are very hard to take those catches. The reaction time is very less, and I have seen it. They put everyone puts a lot of effort in getting those things right.
"And the Dilip [T Dilip, fielding coach] obviously is helping with the players. Some crucial catches as well, which actually turned the game around."