“Kya baat kar rahe ho, aankh se aansu?” - Rohit Sharma’s witty reaction on being told he cries every time during the national anthem

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was taken by surprise when he was told by a scribe at a press conference on Friday that he cries every time the national anthem is played before a cricket match. He reacted with his usual wit while responding to the query.

India will take on Pakistan in the marquee clash of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. The Men in Blue are unbeaten in the tournament so far, having defeated Australia by six wickets in Chennai and Afghanistan by eight wickets in Delhi.

Rohit’s press conferences usually witness at least one funny incident in which the Indian captain displays his witty talent. It was no different on Friday. Before posing his query, a journalist dramatized Rohit getting over-emotional during the national anthem ahead of a match, stating that the Indian captain is seen in tears every time.

Rohit was quite taken aback by the observation and responded:

“Kya baat kar rahe ho, aankh se aansu?” [What are you saying, tears flowing from eyes?]

The mediapersons were in splits even before the Indian captain could answer the query, perhaps pre-empting his response. The scribe then corrected himself and explained that he meant Rohit gets emotional when the national anthem is played. The Indian captain agreed and replied on a serious note:

“Everyone gets emotional [when the national anthem is played].”

Rohit has stated numerous times during media interactions that playing for the country means a lot to him and is an honor he will always cherish.

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“You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd” - Rohit Sharma on fans’ support

There is always pressure on Team India to deliver wherever they play. The expectations are greater when they play at home, like during the ongoing ODI World Cup. However, Rohit does not believe that home support can ever be a disadvantage.

“I don’t think there is any disadvantage. You feel nice about playing in front of your home crowd. They get behind you no matter what the situation of the game is. I look at this as a big advantage. Eventually, it boils down to playing good cricket and doing whatever it takes to win the match,” he asserted.

Responding to another query on whether they would prefer playing on black soil or red soil, Rohit stated that it doesn’t matter to them.

“That’s the good thing about this team. It doesn’t matter what wicket we play on. I don’t decide what wicket we need to play on. Whether it is black or red soil, we’ve got guys who can adapt to those kinds of pitches,” he elaborated.

India and Pakistan will meet in the ODI World Cup for the eighth time on Saturday. The Men in Blue have an unbeaten 7-0 record in the tournament against their arch-rivals.