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India lost to Australia by four wickets in the opening T20I of the series on Tuesday, giving the team another "reality check" before the start of the eagerly awaited World T20, which begins next month.
The loss came after India's humiliating exit from the most recent Asia Cup, which dealt a serious setback to their preparations for the premier T20 tournament. Their participation in the continental tournament was cut short after they were defeated by Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their opening two "Super 4" games; each of those teams advanced to the final with two victories each.
Before the squad departs for Australia, there are five T20I matches left. Rohit urged his players to push themselves and learn new aspects of their skill. The team, however, faces a difficult task given that their poor performance at the T20 World Cup in the UAE the previous year contributed to the ICC title drought.
However, Sourav Ganguly, the current president of the BCCI and a former captain of India, agreed that failing to perform well in important competitions is a cause for concern. He did, though, offer his backing to captain Rohit, who took over as all-format captain earlier this year from Virat Kohli. Ganguly emphasized Rohit's leadership skills and expressed confidence in him and head coach Rahul Dravid.
"The last two to three games were losses for India. India, however, has a fantastic graph. See Rohit Sharma's performance chart while serving as captain. He did quite well. His success rate is 82 percent. He had led his team in close to 35 games, and he had only lost three or four. I am aware that the team is very important to Rohit Sharma and Coach Rahul Dravid. At Nagpur, I'm hoping they'll make a return. Two or three losses don't really worry me. After speaking with the team, they hope to return shortly", said Sourav Ganguly.
“The team will leave (for T20 World Cup in Australia) two to three weeks, will get time to acclimatise and play practice matches," he added.
Ganguly also praised Kohli for his outstanding performance in the Asia Cup, in which he scored 276 runs in five games. The top batsman overcame an extended dry spell to knock two half-centuries in a row before hitting an unbeaten 122 off 61 balls for his 71st international century. After a break of 1,019 days, he hit the three-figure milestone, which was a T20I record for him.
"Virat Kohli is an important part of India's team in the World Cup. But India has to play well. Everyone has to play well, starting with Kohli, Rohit, Pandya, and all. It's very good news that Virat is back in form. I hope it will continue," Ganguly said.
The second T20I between India and Australia will be played on Friday at VCA Stadium, Nagpur.
