Excited by captaincy but also a bit nervous: Rohit

DUBAI: Rohit Sharma is all set to lead India for the first time in a major international tournament at the Asia Cup 2018, and on the eve of the match, he said he was “a bit nervous, but very excited”.

With Virat Kohli rested for the tournament, Sharma will call the shots over the next week-and-a-bit in the United Arab Emirates.

He’s donned this role before, though, and to considerable success: He led India to the Nidahas Trophy title against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in March, and 2-1 and 3-0 victories in One-day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals against Sri Lanka in December.

Despite that, there are some nerves. “Captaincy is a big responsibility,” he told reporterss on the eve of India’s tournament opener against Hong Kong.“I’ve done it before in a series, but this is a very big tournament for me. I’m quite excited. A bit nervous, obviously, but very excited.

“It’s an important tournament, and I’ve played with these boys quite a bit, so we understand each other. I’m looking forward to it.”While Hong Kong represent a tricky challenge, Sharma was, unsurprisingly, asked of the subsequent clash against arch-rivals Pakistan.

He said it was too soon to talk about that particular game, but was glad his team would get to suss the conditions on Tuesday (today).“We’ve not played here. The last time a lot of the boys played here was during the IPL [Indian Premier League] in 2014,” said Sharma.

“It’s been a long time since we played at this (Dubai International Cricket Stadium) particular venue. Tomorrow is a good chance to assess the pitch, the grounds, the dimensions – it’s important you understand all of that and take it into your game.”