To qualify for WTC final, we have to play aggressive cricket: KL Rahul

A spot in the World Test Championship final at stake a depleted Indian team has no option but to play an aggressive brand of cricket against Bangladesh in the twomatch series starting Wednesday standin skipper KL Rahul said on MondayThe Indian team will be without three key players Jasprit Bumrah Ravindra Jadeja and regular skipper Rohit Sharma due to injuriesHaving already lost the ODI series the Indian team will need to win its next six Test matches two in Bangladesh and four vs Australia at home to remain in contention for a toptwo spot in the World Test Championship points tableAs of now Indian team is placed fourth in the table with 5208 percentage points while Australia 75 percentage points and South Africa 60 percentage points are placed first and second Sri Lanka with 64 percentage points is third in the listThere is a Test championship final qualification so we will also have to be aggressive We know where we stand and what we need to do to qualify for the final said Rahul during a media conference after the unveiling of the trophyAlso readIshan Kishan grabbed his chance with both hands KL RahulEach day each session we will assess what is required for the team in that particular moment and give our bestThe seasonending World Test Championship will be held in June 2023 at the Oval in LondonFlexibility in mindset is the order of the hour and a key recipe for successWe wont go in with any set mindset Yes there is a certain history of a venue you look at the numbers and take some pointers from that At least for us we will go there and try to be aggressive and brave try and get a resultThe game is played over five days so it is important to break it down to smaller targets In every session the demands would be different but one thing is sure that you are going to see a lot of aggressive cricket from our side the skipper assuredA lot of this talk of aggressive intent has come watching England teams radically different ultraaggressive approach which has caught the imagination of cricket fansAnd skipper Rahul doesnt think English style of batsmanship characterises recklessnessAs cricketers I dont think it is reckless cricket They have certain mindset they thought about it they back their players and the players are doing the job for the team so it doesnt matter how you have done it Cricket is changing there is no set way of how this game needs to be played the stylish opener saidRahul in fact immensely enjoyed Englands 20 series win in Pakistan with a Test match still to goTo watch these two matches between England and Pakistan has really been interesting I am really enjoying watching Test cricket being played like that a very fearless taking the game onBut each team has its own way All teams can learn a thing or two from the teams that are doing well You cant always have the same approach You turn up according to the conditions he said providing his take on English approachHope Rohit can recover and play 2nd TestSkipper Rohit Sharma has now missed backtoback Test matches one vs England in July due to COVID19 and now against Bangladesh due to left thumb dislocation and split webbingRohit is an important player for us He is an experienced player and captain of our team He is someone that the team will really miss but we hope he can recover quickly and comeback for the second Test Rahul saidDont know the criteria for selecting vicecaptainThe previous national selection committee had named Cheteshwar Pujara as vicecaptain for the Bangladesh series even as chairman Chetan Sharma had said that Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah along with Rahul are being groomed as future leadersPujara is just about holding onto to his spot in the Test squad and vicecaptaincy will be an absolute boost Pujara was also named vicecaptain for one Test match during the 202021 historic tour of AustraliaWhen Rahul was asked about the vice captaincy he sidestepped the issueRegarding vicecaptain at least I dont know what is the criteria Whoever is picked you give yourself a pat on the back It really doesnt change too many things everybody in the team knows their roles and responsibilitiesHe didnt want to distinguish between who could have been a better deputyRishabh and Pujara both have been brilliant for us in Test cricket and have done the job so many times So we really dont think much The team wins as eleven players and when we go down we go down as whole team Everyone has responsibilityShubman has done his job whenever given opportunityAs a skipper it is always important to back the performers and Rahul believes that his likely opening partner Shubman Gill is one of themShubman has been a brilliant player and it is wonderful to see his transformation in ODIs In Tests whenever he has got the opportunity he has done the job for the team He has temperament for the longest format In every format he is exciting What we can do is back exciting and talented playersRahul believes in empowering his players to make their own onfield decisions and play with a free mindIt is important as a leader to back your players let them make their own decisions At the same time it is also important that we enjoy our cricket and not really think too much It is about what we require to do as a team and as individuals to win the game for the country the Bangalore man saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever