New Delhi: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who has joined the Indian contingent ahead of the T20 series opener, on Wednesday said his recovery from Coronavirus has been good and he is looking forward to playing in the first T20I match against England at Southampton, ANI reported.
"Recovery has been good. It has been eight to nine days since I tested positive for COVID-19. Currently, I feel good. I started training three days back. I wanted to participate in the match since my body feels better, and there are no symptoms. I tested negative two to three times. I am looking forward to the game," said Rohit in a press conference.
On whether this series is a preparation for this year's T20 World Cup, he said, "We have an eye on World T20. I would not say that (this series) is a preparation. Every match for India is important for us. We want to come here and make sure we tick all our boxes and we get our job done."
On whether the loss in the final Test at Edgbaston has an effect on players here, the captain said, "You want that hunger to be there all the time. I certainly see that hunger in that group. It is disappointing to have not come out on the winning side."
IPL sensation Umran Malik didn't have a desirable start to his international career when he made his T20 debut against Ireland. Rohit said that Umran is still in the scheme of things for the team after not performing upto the mark.
"We are trying to give him an understanding of what the team requires from him. We have to see what he has to offer to us. He is an exciting prospect, we have seen it in IPL. It is about giving him a role, whether we want him to bowl with a new ball or in the middle overs because when you play for a franchise, you have a different role. Guys here have a certain skill set, it is about understanding it, fitting these people in the side and giving them role clarity," he added.
India's squad for 1st T20I: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaekwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
India's squad for 2nd and 3rd T20I: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik.
(With ANI Inputs)