T20 World Cup 2024: Indian batters discuss managing fans' high hopes and team commitments

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As the T20 World Cup 2024 approaches, excitement is building among cricket fans worldwide. The Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, is set to take on the competition in the United States and West Indies starting June 1. 

In an exclusive interview with a local sports channel, key players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Rishab Pant shared their thoughts on the upcoming tournament, the weight of expectations, and the essence of responsibility.

Reflecting on India's rich T20 World Cup history, Sharma expressed both pride and anticipation.

“We won the inaugural match in 2007, since then, we made it to the finals but did not win the T20 World Cup. We now have the opportunity to win the T20 World Cup of 2024,” Rohit said.

Virat Kohli, known for his passionate connection with fans, addressed the immense expectations placed on the team.

“We cannot expect our fans to not expect anything from us, it’s not realistic. However, the team should consider them their strength. It will only become a weakness when we give it too much attention. In our country, cricket has a separate fan base and we take this as a motivation,” Kohli said.

Pant highlighted the joy and honor of representing India.

“The best part is taking the responsibility for the team, and I’m looking forward to enjoy the responsibility for my team,” Pant said.

India is in Group A alongside Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and hosts USA. They kick off their campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, followed by a highly anticipated match against Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue. Subsequently, they will face USA and Canada on June 12 and 15, respectively.

India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad:

Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan