NEW DELHI: As India gear up for the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, captain Rohit Sharma was a picture of confidence at the pre-match conference on Tuesday.
Addressing reporters, the Indian captain lauded his team for the brilliant victory in the first Test in Perth and more than that he emphasized upon his team's never say die attitude.
Rohit said, "We have played some really good cricket. We've been fortunate as well when we won that Perth Test match, when you get bowled out for 150 runs, you feel that you are under pressure a little bit and then the attitude from the boys, how they turned and bowled out Australia for 100 runs (104), shows that there's an attitude where nobody wants to give it up until the last day of the Test match. And that is the attitude we're carrying for a long time now. When you tour abroad you know have to put in that extra effort, have that extra bit of attitude within the team and that is something we showed in that Test match."
Australia bounced back with a 10-win wicket in Adelaide and Rohit admitted India did not play well in the in the day-night Test.
"And in Adelaide we were a little behind the game, we didn't play well, which I admitted too. And then Brisbane obviously there wasn't much, only 180-190 overs were bowled. So after three Test matches, if I have to look at it, being 1-1 is a fair reflection of how both teams have played, there has been solid cricket being played by both teams and now these two Test matches are going to be so important for both teams. But we want t break it down to just Melbourne now and focus on what we can achieve here, get our things right, play well, bat well, bowl well and take some good catches as well," Rohit added.
The two sides are locked at 1-1 in the five-Test series with India needing one more win to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India have played 14 Tests at the MCG, winning 4 and losing 8, while 2 have ended in draws.
The last time India played at the MCG in December 2020, the Ajinkya Rahane-led team made a remarkable turnaround after the 36 all out in Adelaide to win the Boxing Day Test by 8 wickets.
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