'Itna mehnat kiya, kuch toh chahiye': Rohit Sharma's brutally honest admission after WC final loss

While over a month has passed since the dreaded World Cup final loss, the stains of the loss are seemingly still riding high in the minds of many enthusiasts and of course the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma. A couple of weeks ago, Rohit Sharma broke silence on the painful loss at Ahmedabad, and following that the skipper has made his first media appearance ahead of the start of the India vs South Africa Test series.

3 things you need to know

• India vs South Africa 1st Test to start from December 26, 2023
• Team India is yet to win a Test series in South Africa
• India drew the T20 series and won the ODI series of the prevalent tour

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Rohit Sharma highlights that the team is desperate to achieve something big after the World Cup final loss

During the presser, Sharma was asked if the potential Test series win in South Africa could alleviate some of the pain that emanated after the World Cup final loss. To which, he vehemently said that a series win and a World Cup victory cannot be compared. But at the same time he made it known that a Test series win against the proteas in their backyard carries a huge importance, considering it hasn't been done before.

"I don't know if a victory here could come as a consolation for a World Cup final loss. I don't know about it. World Cup is World Cup! Comparing this series with the World Cup is very difficult. But this series holds huge importance on its own. There's history. If we could achieve a victory here then all boys will feel well."

Sharma mulls over the hard work that the team has put in as a unit and acknowledges the fact that the boys are desperate to yield success in exchange for the hard work.

“We have done so much hard work, we want some result (laughs). We are doing all the tough work so we need something big, We are all desperate for that. Not just one or two players or only seniors are desperate, the entire lot of boys want to attain glory for the country, for the team. So, I hope we do well in this series. We have all the tools. So, it is important to play bindass (carefree). Thus, we will attempt to play with a free mind and not think about what has happened in the past.”

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Opportunity for Team India

Team India has toured South Africa a total of 9 times since 1992 and is yet to win a Test series in the rainbow nation. The sides led by MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have come close to modifying the history books but each time the daunting task of winning the second match has proved to be too big. The forthcoming series will come as another opportunity, and according to some experts it is the biggest one that has ever arrived till date and the team led by Rohit Sharma must take it.