'Never going to be an excuse': India not hiding behind 'hectic' schedule of West Indies leg

Following a five-day break – well, technically eight days, because the Canada game was abandoned – Team India will return to action at the T20 World Cup, taking on Afghanistan in their first Super Eight match. India will begin the second leg of their World Cup campaign in the West Indies at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, from where they travel to Antigua and then St. Lucia to play their next two Super 8 fixtures against Bangladesh and Australia, respectively, all in a span of five days.

While the schedule is a bit grueling given the travel time that's involved, India captain Rohit Sharma is not using it as an excuse. India were the top-ranked team in their Group finishing with 7 points from three wins and a washout. Now grouped with three very challenging teams, players have hit the ground running, hoping for more success in the Super Eights. This team knows what it's like to be on the road, with guys having played the IPL and a packed international calendar, and instead of viewing it as a hurdle, Rohit and Co. are sensing a good opportunity to make it to the semi-final.

"There is real keenness in the group to go and do something special. So that's a good way to start our second stage in the tournament. Clearly shows that everybody wants to make a difference, and obviously, we take our skill sessions quite seriously. There is something to achieve in every session. Once we play our first game, we are playing the next 2 games in a span of 3-4 days. It's going to be a little hectic, but again, we are used to all of this. We travel a lot, we play a lot. So that's never going to be an excuse," Rohit said ahead of the Afghanistan tie.

We have played here before: Rohit
The Indian team reached Barbados and unwinded through a session of beach volleyball. The players then had their first practice session on Monday – one that was pretty intense – with the likes of Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah putting in the hard yards. The last time India played a T20I series – in 2023 – they lost 2-3 under Hardik Pandya's captaincy, but with Rohit back at the help, the India skipper is hopeful of his players using the experience of having played in the Caribbean before to come in useful. The morale in the dressing room is high, and India are looking to take one step at a time en route to achieving the ultimate glory.

"We will look to focus a lot more on our skills and what we need to do as a team rather than all of this. Every session then becomes really important and to make the best use of it. We have seen a lot of games here, played a lot of games here so everyone understands what one needs to do to get the result in our favour. Everyone's looking forward and quite excited at the same time," added Rohit.