World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma insists India not thinking about the past ahead of semi-final against New Zealand

India face New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday in what will be a repeat of the 2019 World Cup semi-final in Manchester.

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The Black Caps had emerged victorious by 18 runs back then, and the heartbreak will still be afresh in the minds of many an Indian fan.

India skipper Rohit Sharma, however, has firmly insisted his team has put that defeat behind and are not dwelling upon what has happened in past editions of the showpiece events on the eve of the semi-final showdown.

“That’s the beauty of this team. We weren’t even born when we won the World Cup in 1983. Half of them were not playing when we won in 2011. I don’t see them talking about how we won our previous World Cups.

“The focus is on how we can get better and how we can improve. That’s the beauty of the current crop of players. From game number one, the focus is to win today,” Rohit said at the press conference on the eve of the first semi-final.

Rohit however, did acknowledge the threat that the Kiwis posed in the semi-final despite the fact that the Men in Blue had won the group stage encounter in Dharamsala by four wickets and are the only remaining unbeaten team.

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“New Zealand are the most disciplined team. Playing ICC knockouts consistently. We do understand what they bring to the table, we have been closely following all teams,” Rohit added.

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As for the pressure of playing in a World Cup knockout match, Rohit said that is a feeling that Indian cricketers are fairly used to given the amount of scrutiny that they come under.

“Be it a league match or semifinal, the pressure is always there in a World Cup match. We have handled it well from the first game to the last. The team has responded well,” Rohit said.

“We are focusing on playing good cricket in the next two games. Pressure is always there on us as Indian cricketers. The need is to focus on the game and not on the pressure and challenges from the other side,” he added.

Rohit also touched upon his decision to use nine bowlers in India’s final league match against Netherlands on Sunday, saying Hardik Pandya’s absence due to an ankle injury has forced him to look at options other than the frontline pacers and spinners.

“As soon as Hardik got injured, our combination changed. Ever since game number one, we wanted to use others to bowl as well. It’s good to have options but I hope we will not have the situation to use it,” added the ‘Hitman’, who collected the winning wicket of Teja Nidamanuru on Sunday.