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India will face the pressure of a World Cup semifinal
when they cross the boundary at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. It’s
possible that this feeling would be amplified compared to how they’ve felt the
entire campaign. India has done everything possible to lessen the strain when
the team is off the pitch, even if it is inevitable once they take the pitch.
Rohit Sharma gave a detailed account of the team
management’s efforts to establish a calm atmosphere, dating back to the 2022
T20 World Cup in Australia, on the eve of the semi-final matchup with New
Zealand.
“We started in Australia in the last World Cup,
we started there the same way,” Rohit said. “We reached Australia 10
or 15 days early. And we had set up a small camp in Perth for seven or eight
days. There is an island near Perth, we went there. We went away from cricket.
Wherever we get a chance, we try to do activities like that. To keep the team’s
environment light. It’s not like it’s only happening in the last two years. It
used to happen before as well. But now, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s more
visible now.”
This has continued into the World Cup, where players
have even put on a fashion display as part of the team’s off-field activities;
Rohit declined to discuss the specifics.
“Our conscious effort has been on this, that the
team’s environment does not change based on the results,” he said.
“We have to create the environment that is needed for the team and that is
mandatory. And this cannot be done by one or two boys. It is important for all
the boys to come together, including the support staff.
“So, like we were in Dharamsala, we had a five or
six-day break there. We stayed in Dharamsala for two days. We did a lot of team
activity there. We did a fashion show there, but no one knows about that. It’s
a good thing that no one knows about it.
“So, all this effort, the environment of the team
that we always talk about, this is the environment where we like to be very
relaxed. And all the boys like this a lot. Because you know when you come on
the ground, there will be pressure, pressure of performance, pressure of
winning the match. That can’t be changed. Because once you reach the ground, it
is then up to the individuals how they want to take it forward.