Rohit Sharma wants to shed the 'Chase Masters' tag. Here's why it's a masterstroke

Updated : Feb 21, 2022 14:42
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Editorji News Desk

As Team India whitewashed West Indies in the 3-match T20 series, skipper Rohit Sharma was quick to remove India's long-held tag of being a 'chasing team' in T20I.

Until Rohit took over the captaincy duties from Virat Kohli, the Men in Blue had stood by one moto, win the toss and bowl first. However, the Hitman was keen on batting first and making his team believe in posting big totals and helping his bowlers defend those.

The 'chase masters' tag though was a fitting one for Team India. The Men in Blue were involved in 47 run-chases in T20I since January 2015 and they lost just 9 of those. 36 wins during this period are in fact the most among all teams. 

During the same period, India batted first in 55 T20I and won 32 games, with 3 of those victories coming in the last 4 games under Rohit. 

After the 3rd T20I in Kolkata, Rohit clarified that for them as a team, it doesn't matter whether they chase or bat first as the challenge was in both departments. 'The team that used to chase, not many people from that squad are here anymore,' added the Hitman.

Interestingly, India failed to defend in both of their starting 2 games against Pakistan and New Zealand in the 2021 World T20 and that cost the team a place in the knockouts.

Clearly, it's not a practice that the Hitman is trying just for the sake of it but Rohit Sharma wants his team to not repeat the same mistake in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Also read: IND VS WI 3rd T20I: 'Good sign', Rohit Sharma praises team after series whitewash

Rohit SharmaVirat KohliTeam India

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