Captain Rohit Sharma looked visibly unwell as the India captain was caught coughing frequently during the pre-match press conference in Dubai on Wednesday ahead of their Group A clash against Bangladesh in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The Indian cricketers have been in Dubai since February 15 following their 3-0 ODI series win over England at home. Although he looked calm and composed, Rohit Sharma coughed a multiple times during the press conference, raising concerns about his health.
When offered water by a local organising member, Rohit Sharma politely declined, stating “I’m fine.” According to journalist Vimal Kumar, the Indian captain also stopped for a second while coughing and even said sorry once. He also said that Rohit Sharma might be a victim of the different weather conditions in India and Dubai.
However, post the press conference, Rohit Sharma looked to be in lighter mood as he had fun and banter with his teammates in the training session. He should be fine ahead of the clash on Thursday. The India vs Bangladesh clash begins at 2:30 PM IST.
There only two spinners: Rohit Sharma
During the press conference, the 37-year-old also defended picking five spinners, stating three of them are all-rounders who add a lot of value to his team. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialists spinners while Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, are all very capable batters beside spin.
“There only two spinners, the rest are all-rounders. They can bat and bowl,” said Rohit when asked about the spin heavy composition of the side. “We play to our strengths.
“The three all-rounders give a different dimension to the squad, they add a lot to the squad. We wanted to have players with two skills rather than one,” added Rohit Sharma, who had scored a hundred against Bangladesh in their only face-off in the ICC Champions Trophy. .
