‘Don't ask me such questions. I won't answer it’: Rohit Sharma snaps at a journalist; here's why

Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian cricket team, lost his cool with a journalist during the announcement of the ODI World Cup squad.

The journalist asked Sharma about the public perception when India plays in the world tournaments. Sharma responded by saying that he was not going to answer any questions about the public perception. He also said that he would not entertain such questions when press conferences happen back in India.

"I have said this so many times. We don't care what happens on the outside. All the players in our team are professional. Don't ask me such questions. I won't answer such questions. It doesn't make sense to talk about such things. Our focus is something else and we do not care about these things," Sharma said.

The journalist then asked Sharma about the players who could not make it to the 15-member ODI squad. To which, Sharma, who was seated side by side with India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar, replied that the squad was as expected and that no significant changes had been made.

"There are no surprises and you can get only 15 in. Some of the guys will be disappointed. I have gone through it and I know how it feels. We have good all-round options and this is the best 15 we could get," Sharma said.

"I have not thought about plans yet. The problem of plenty is a good problem to have. We have to see who is in form and who our opposition is. We need to see what the best possible combination could be. If someone misses out, then so be it. This keeps happening. You have to make tough calls for the team," he further added.

India stuck with their Asia Cup squad by and large for the ODI World Cup. The only two players who were dropped were Prasidh Krishna and Tilak Varma. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to make an official announcement of the 15-member squad soon for the upcoming One Day International (ODI) World Cup 2023.

Sharma further explained that the bowling unit has been picked up in a manner so that they can help in the batting department as well. He said that all good sides in the world had bowlers who could bat a little and add that extra bit of punch at the back end.

"We have to create the batting depth. Obviously, the Nos 8 and 9 become crucial when it comes to batting depth. We fell a little short at the back end with the bat. Their job is not just to bowl the opposition out but also to score some runs. 10 or 15 runs could be the difference between winning and losing," Sharma said during the press conference.

"You got to see what the conditions are. Six bowlers cannot bowl 10 overs each, you have to see what suits which bowler that day. There will be times where spinners will not bowl their full quota of 20 overs," Sharma further added.

Earlier in the day, BCCI’s senior men's selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar announced the Indian squad for the ICC Men's ODI World Cup starting from October 5 in India. India stuck with their Asia Cup squad by and large for the ODI World Cup. The only three players who were dropped were Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma.

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

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