Bangladesh Tests ‘no dress rehearsal’, says India’s Rohit

AFP | Chennai

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Captain Rohit Sharma yesterday warned his India team there is “no dress rehearsal” in cricket as they face a Bangladesh side fresh from a historic Test series win over Pakistan. India lead the World Test Championship (WTC) standings ahead of Australia, where Rohit’s team will tour for a fivematch series later in the year.

But first they host Bangladesh in a two-Test series, starting with the opener in the northern Indian city of Chennai from Thursday. India are clear favourites but the visitors recently celebrated a landmark 2-0 series sweep in Pakistan.

“There is no dress rehearsal kind of stuff happening here,” Rohit told reporters, cautioning against minds turning too quickly to Australia.

“Every game is important because of what is at stake -– the WTC table is quite wide open,” Rohit added. “We want to win here, and start the season on a high.”

The skipper added: “In terms of preparation, in terms of readiness, I feel we are quite ready for this game, and what lies ahead of us.” India’s last Test series was at home earlier this year when they beat England 4-1. India won the T20 World Cup in June, their first International Cricket Council title in 11 years.

But there was “no way” his players would “relax and sit back” as a result, the 37-yearold Rohit said. “Us cricketers, we have got limited time to play the game, to make an impact in the sport that we play,” he said.

India will host New Zealand for three Tests in October and November, before travelling to Australia, the current World Test champions. “Every team likes to beat India.

Let them have fun,” said Rohit of a Bangladesh team on a high after their first win over Pakistan. “We need to win the match and that’s what we are here for.”