‘No matter what happens in the IPL auction, it’s about India now: says Rohit Sharma

India white-ball captain Rohit Sharma said on Tuesday that the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction is done and that everyone on his team should be focused on the color “blue” and the aim should be to perform their best for the country. India and the West Indies will face off in three Twenty20 Internationals beginning Wednesday, with the spotlight on the type of cricket India plays following disappointment in the T20 World Cup 2021. The Men in Blue must also establish a core nucleus that will represent them in the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

“It was known that the boys would have ups and downs, as well as some feelings over whose side they would play for in the IPL. But that was done the day before yesterday; we had a fantastic meeting with everyone and asked them to concentrate on the color blue for the next two weeks. Whatever occurred has happened, and for the next two weeks, they must focus solely on playing for India “Rohit said during a virtual news conference.

“We discussed that, so you can think that once they put on India colors, they will do everything for India, nothing else matters,” he said.

In the mega auction, Rohit’s franchise Mumbai Indians paid Rs 15.25 crore for Ishan Kishan. However, India’s white-ball captain emphasized that the priority right now is to play for the country.

“To be honest, there is no mention of IPL here. We’re not looking at where players will bat for their IPL franchises; we’re looking at where they’ll bat for Team India, plain and simple. We’ll be concentrating on this; these men play distinct roles for their franchises, and what we need from them here is critical. IPL will occur later; we will take care of it for them “Rohit said.

“Now is the time to act and the guys have been told what we expect from them Whether it is a bowler or a batsman, the clarity has been provided, and it is up to them to adjust “he continued