The warm-up matches for the World Cup 2023 started on Friday, which saw New Zealand defeat Pakistan and Bangladesh defeat Sri Lanka, while the South Africa vs Afghanistan game was washed out.
On Saturday, India and England were scheduled to meet in Guwahati. However, this match got washed out after toss. India captain Rohit Sharma had won the toss and elected to bat first. However, before the opening batters could make their way into the middle, rain arrived in Guwahati, and didn’t relent at all. Thus, the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
While fans were upset that one of the two warm-up matches India had got washed out, India captain Rohit Sharma gave them a talking point with his bizarre and strange statement at the toss.
Rohit Sharma said that he isn’t looking to gain much from these warm-up matches, adding that these practice games are just a “formality” before the main tournament begins. This was Rohit at his candid best, once again showing his languid and carefree nature.
“Practice match is just a formality for us. We just got to play good cricket, we played 7 or 8 games recently, we want to make sure that the guys stay fresh for the 8th of October,” Sharma said.
This comment from the India captain might not go down well with some of the BCCI and the ICC officials, but that is who he is – someone who speaks his mind without worrying too much and remains himself with no pretense.
Fans were taken aback a bit by this statement from Rohit.
“Practice Match Just A Formality”: Here are reactions of fans to this statement from Rohit Sharma
India’s second and last warm-up game is against the Netherlands on October 3 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
India will kick-start their World Cup campaign on October 8 against Australia in Chennai.
