10 October - Delhi - India Coach Vikram Rathour pre-match press conference
Reporter:]
Winning start and you are taking on an unpredictable Afghanistan team, what is the thing that you have to worry about?
[Vikram Rathour:]
Just looking to focus on the process. That is the message that has been given to the team again and again that we just look to play our game well, we just look to do our things right and I am sure we have the team with the results. If we do our things right, the results will be taken care of. So that is what the focus is on.
[Reporter:]
Any update on Shubman Gill? There was news item that he was hospitalized and then he has been brought back to the hotel and the platellete is good, bad, or ugly or whether he is going to be rested for the next match, I mean tomorrow or even against Pakistan. Any update please?
[Vikram Rathour:]
He is recovering well. He was hospitalized, yes, but that was more as a precaution. He is back in the hotel; he is recovering well. So, being monitored by the medical team and whatever update we get, we are hoping that he will recover pretty soon. He is looking good actually.
[Reporter:]
Hotel in Chennai?
[Vikram Rathour:]
In Chennai.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible question]
[Vikram Rathour:]
[Hindi]
We have a very experienced batting unit at the moment. I don't think that message is required. Everyone knows how they have to play in this format. We have a very settled batting unit at the moment. Everyone has their own way. We are giving them the freedom to play the way they want to play. And we understand that everybody has a different way of playing. But everyone has their own way of playing and we have the trust that if they play and back themselves, we will achieve what we are looking to achieve.
[Reporter:]
Last match here, 700 or more runs were scored. So, it was completely different from Chennai wicket. So, any change in combination, especially in the bowling department, where you might not play three spinners this time?
[Vikram Rathour:]
We’ve just come. Captain and coach are there. I think they'll look at the wicket, they'll assess the surface and then decide. I haven't been, we haven't had any discussion on that yet.
[Reporter:]
If you could just talk about your discussions with Ishaan Kishan now because he will be playing a different role, what he was kind of expected to play with Gill, occupying that opener spot. So, what have your conversations with Ishan been like because he is going to play a very crucial role in the next game now?
[Vikram Rathour:]
No, he has opened in the past and he has played as an opener. So, no specific discussion on that. He understands the moment. That was the reason he has been in the team. We knew that he can bat top of the order or in the middle order. So, he has done that before. So, no specific discussion on that. Just hoping that he comes good tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
You always say that every game is important against every team, which is also true. But which player in Afghanistan needs special preparation, whether it is bowling or batting?
[Vikram Rathour:]
Again, we are not preparing based on a specific player. We are preparing ourselves. And we are ready for every situation or any conditions that we get. So, every player is important again. So, some day someone will do good bowling - Whatever comes our way.
[Reporter:]
Though Indian team is favourite one for winning the World Cup, but there are players in Afghan sides who have changed in past the games, such as Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, Nabi and others. Is there any thinking that they might bring some sort of change here in their favour?
[Vikram Rathour:]
As I said earlier, we’re not looking at players names, we are looking to do our things right, we are trying to focus on the process and we have the belief that the team that we have, if we can do our things right and just focus on the process and not worry on the result, we’ll achieve what we are trying to achieve. At the moment also we are looking to play good cricket and hoping that if we do that, everything will be fine.
[Reporter:]
The way KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are playing with each other - Is there a temptation to play KL Rahul not at number 5 but maybe number 4?
[Vikram Rathour:]
No, not at the moment because he is doing so well at number 5 and Shreyas has done really well for us at number 4. So absolutely no temptations.
[Reporter:]
There is a lot of talk about Surya. Can we see him in the next 2-3 matches?
Or is it a set combination and the Indian team will go with him?
[Vikram Rathour:]
Whoever is being given the opportunity, I think the belief of team management is that he should get proper opportunity. We need to back everyone. Whoever is playing should get enough opportunity. And if there is a situation where we feel that Surya should be brought in, again he has been batting really well. He has been playing well, he is preparing well. So, if we feel that Surya should be brought in, we will definitely play him.
[Reporter:]
Do you plan a campaign when you have teams like Afghanistan and Netherlands, do you go for net run rate or anything? Do you try to change your game plan, batting order, the style of play according to the team?
[Vikram Rathour:]
Not really, this is a very premature question. We don't know how tomorrow is going to be, how the wicket will play and what the situation will be. So, I don't think it's possible to answer that question. But we look to do the best we can. If we bat first, we look to put up as many runs as possible and if we bowl first, we'll try and get them out as early as possible.
[Reporter:]
Since the tournament is a bit long and we have to play more matches, we are getting different wickets at different places. Do you feel that it is a bit tricky and challenging to find out your combination and then set your 11.
[Vikram Rathour:]
I think that is the biggest advantage we have. We have the personnel to play on different surfaces. We can, everybody, we can go with three seamers, we can go with all-rounders, we have three very good spinners in the team and we have the batting unit which can adapt and play in any condition. So, at the moment I think we are doing well as far as the team is concerned, everybody is fit. Hopefully Gill will be back in the mix pretty soon.
So, no concerns. We understand it's nine different venues, nine different wickets. But the strength of this team is adaptability. I think we can adapt really well.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible question]
[Vikram Rathour:]
We need to play good cricket and if we play good cricket, we have the belief that we will win. So again, the focus is on playing good cricket.