Rohit Sharma on preparing for Pakistan’s attack: ‘We don’t have Shaheen, Naseem or Rauf to face in the nets’

For Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, the prospect of facing the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf on Saturday is as simple as it gets. Despite the trio having managed to put the Indian top order under pressure in recent times from the word go. Be it in Dubai where Afridi ran through Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul’s defence or in Melbourne where Rauf and Naseem removed the two and Suryakumar Yadav between them to leave India vulnerable in the powerplay.

When asked on the eve of their next clash in Kandy how the 36-year-old and his team have prepared to take guard against the ominous-looking Pakistan pace attack, Rohit dug out one of his typical punchlines. “We don’t have Shaheen, Naseem or Rauf to face in the nets. We prepare with the ones we have,” he said before changing his tone to appreciate the talent on offering from the opposition. “They’re quality bowlers. All three of them and have been performing together for quite some time now. Pakistan have always had quality bowlers.”