Published: Dec 09, 2022, 11:41 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 09, 2022, 11:41 AM (IST)
New Delhi: Former India all-rounder Madan Lal questioned skipper Rohit Sharma‘s statement after his team lost the second ODI against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka on Wednesday. Rohit had said that the team management will have to get to the bottom of the problem to figure out the reason behind players getting injured so often, adding that India can’t afford to pick ‘half-fit’ players playing for the country.
Reacting to the above statement, Madan Lal said, “It is a very sad thing. If the captain is saying this then something is wrong somewhere. Who is responsible for this? Are trainers responsible for this? Why are unfit players going? You are playing international cricket and the result is in front of you. If they want to take rest, they can take rest during IPL matches. Your country comes first. If you are not going to win ICC trophies, your nation’s cricket is going to go down.”
The 71-year-old former India World Cup winner reckons that the team is not going in the right direction as he does not see the intensity required to succeed at the highest level off late, adding that the passion of playing for the country is missing.
“Definitely the Indian team is not going in the right direction. I have not seen the intensity in the team off late. I have not seen ‘Josh’ in them in the last couple of years. They are not looking like an Indian team at all. That passion of playing for the country is missing. Either their bodies are too tired or they are just going through the motions. And this is a serious concern,” he added.
India have had its fair share of injuries in the last couple of months. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja missed the T20 World Cup 2022 due to injuries while Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen and Rohit himself were ruled out of the third ODI against Bangladesh for the same reason.
“I mean there are definitely a few injury concerns. We need to try and get to the bottom of it. I don’t know what exactly it is. Maybe they’re playing too much cricket. We need to try and monitor those guys, because it’s important to understand when they come for India, they need to be a 100 percent, in fact more than a 100 percent,” Rohit said after India’s loss in the second ODI.
“It’s something we have to look at. We have to sit with our team back home at the NCA as well and try and monitor their workload. That is something we need to look at. We can’t afford guys coming in here half-fit and representing the country. There’s huge pride and honour in representing the country and if they’re not fit enough, it’s not ideal. Having said that, we just need to get to the bottom of it and find out what exactly is the reason behind this,” he concluded.
