India have maintained an unbeaten streak at home for 12 years, with their last Test series defeat occurring against England in 2012. Despite being considered overwhelming favourites against a Ben Stokes-led England side, Indian captain Rohit Sharma played down the “unbeatable” label. He stressed on the importance of consistently playing well to secure victory in the upcoming five-match series.
“I don’t think we are unbeatable,” said Rohit during the pre-match press conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday. “We don’t want to think like that. But whatever past records that we have over the last decade or so, do not guarantee that we will come out on top in this series. We have to play well to win this series.”
Explaining the decision to include Rajat Patidar in the squad in place of the absent Virat Kohli, Rohit acknowledged the difficulty of leaving out experienced players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
“We did actually think about it (picking Pujara) but all these younger players, when are they going to get their opportunity?” he said. “That’s something we thought about as well. Leaving out an experienced player and not considering them is very hard because of the amount of runs they have scored and the kind of experience they have had, and the number of games they have won for us.
“It is very hard to ignore all of that. But you need to bring certain players into your set-up and give them favourable conditions. You don’t want to expose them on foreign tours where they have not played before. That’s the thought behind all of that. It’s important we try and get these youngsters in whenever there is an opportunity.”
Rohit clarified that the door to the Indian team was not closed for anyone, stating, “As long as they stay fit and keep scoring runs, anyone will be welcomed back into the set-up.”
Reflecting on their historic win in the Cape Town Test against South Africa earlier this year, Rohit noted that while it boosted confidence, the series against England presented different conditions and challenges.
“The Cape Town win was good, but this match is in Hyderabad,” he said. “It is different conditions, different opposition. But yeah, that win has given us a lot of confidence and we can take that into this series.”
Meanwhile, Shoaib Bashir, England’s uncapped spinner, is yet to arrive in India due to visa issues. The 20-year-old of Pakistani origin encountered visa problems while in the UAE and had to stay back when the rest of the England squad landed in India on Sunday, January 21. Due to these issues, he had to return home on Tuesday, leading to his exclusion from the first Test.
“I feel for him,” said Rohit. “He’s probably coming for the first time. Not easy for anyone. Unfortunately, I don’t sit in the visa office to give you more details on that. But hope he gets in quickly and enjoys our country.”